the uk exports half its goods to the eu. the government is hunting around for a solution and is under political pressure to choose a new customs arrangements. why with just six months to go, are the government still considering options that we all know are not feasible? we will be leaving the customs union. we want to ensure we can have an independent trade policy. we also want to make sure that we deliver, are committed to delivering on our commitment of no hard border between northern ireland and ireland. and ensuring we have as frictionless trade as possible with the european union. there are a number of ways in which that can be delivered. there certainly are. one idea being discussed is a plan for the uk to collect tariffs on the eu's behalf at airports and ports. known as the customs partnership, it has been met with scorn by brexiteers in theresa may's own party. the customs partnership does not in the end meet the stated objectives of the government. it doesn't meet the commitments made in the conservative party mani

judges goods moving across eu and non-eu border. you have to put on tariffs, of persons movement and services, and more importantly for the u.k. come all the regulatory issues that go along with the movement of a good three of the question becomes, how do you put a border between ireland and northern ireland without completely upsetting the peace accords that ate about after the result the end of the troubles? this is the heart of the soul of the problem. 310 miles of border between northern ireland and ireland, with more than 400 crossing points, and nobody has been able to figure out how to get around that. what is on the table right now, the eu put forward a withdraw puzzle, which was their tactic to mother proposal for a way to fix it, which effectively creates a border along the irish meaning treat northern ireland and ireland as sort of one area and allow the free low of goods across that order. that is complete and asthma -- it is, to theresa may and her coalition, governing they can't live with the idea that you could separa

and if the eu doesn't like what it sees in poland, what is your message to the eu then? you should like what you have, because poland is the important member state of the european union. poland is a devoted european state, a very pro—european society, 80% of the poles support the european union. so this is actually the reservoir of energy for europe. we are part of the family and of course, you can this way or another, exchange opinions about your members of the family, but we are a family and you have to love your family. but what is the point of being part of this club whose values of freedoms and liberties you don't entirely share? we believe in the four freedoms of europe, also the free movement of goods, people, services and money. so we believe this should be kept. everyone is welcome to poland to come, look and see that this is the country of the happy people living as they want to live, and making the political choices as they want to make political choices. what will you do to work with britain now in its brexit arrangements? we want to keep the ties with brit

we will have to wait to see where these mergers rp are obviously, from the eu trade sheets, the eu has been lobbying the past few days and the past couple of months trying to convince our u.s. counterparts to change donald trump's mind. obviously, the final decision relies on donald trump and the you -- the u.s. president. we will have to wait and see right now what the response is from the eu. but the director did one me that the domino effect this could cause on the trade system. now, a breaking news response from mexico which will also now take reciprocal action versus the united states common --to the economy military. it will impose tariffs on pork, sausages, apples, grapes, some cheeses, and possibly other products. once again, mesko is taking retaliatory steps on things like steel and on agricultural rocks as well. >> obviously from the eu as well. >> apologies. give us a sense, we are seeing reaction. difficult at the same name. but what are you thinking about the reaction now? you said there would be a domino effect. how do they brace themselves for also have wilbur ross sayin

and eu conversations. macron has been very aggressive rightly so very opportunistic trying to build the void with the us. talking about their special relationship which carries particular resonance in the uk. so i think the two broad points i i would make is the uk will remain a key player obviously but there are going to be specific areas where it's going to have less influence. we end up in the heart of brexit scenario which i suggested looking at increasingly likely given the customs union face,, then there may be specific witnesses that will materialize around arrest warrant and so on. let's wait and see. >> great. at this time i'd like to invite members to join our conversation with their questions. a reminder that this meeting is on the record. wait for the microphone, speak directly into it. please stand, state your name and affiliation, please limit yourself to one question him and keep a concise to allow as many members as possible to speak. right there in the back. >> jamie from brookings. what a

his crematory because it only targeted eu rough sleepers, and it was also unlawful under uk and eu law because it operated as a blanket policy in which rough sleepers were automatically detained and removed, irrespective of their individual circumstances. then how is it the uk government thought that they could apply the law in that way? i was very quickly looking at detention grounds, and it lists such that —— things such as public policy, a third public security, public health, personal conduct. in what way was public —— rough sledding a public offence? it was never deemed to be an offence, as you rightly pointed out. the uk government can't refuse entry to eu nationals where there is a current risk in relation to public policy and security —— security health. it can also deport a democrat eu nationals on the same grounds. it is also known to remove the eu nationals where there is fraud in obtaining documentation allowing eu nationals into the country, or in marriages of inconvenience, adding certain circumstances, you nationals can be removed where they are deemed to be

at an eu summit in voc area, the european commission president said that the eu would ban eu companies from complying with american sections on iran. the so-called walking statute was used more than 20 years ago. let's have a listen to what the eu council president donald tusk said about these measures just a couple of hours ago. >> i think the real geopolitical problem is when you have an unpredictable opponent or enemy or partner. the problem is if your closest friend is unpredictable. it is not a joke now, because i think it -- this is the essence of our problem today with our friends on the other side of the atlantic, because i can agree with president trump went he says that unpredictability can be a useful tool in politics. brent: let's pull in our correspondent in sofia, bulgaria, covering the summit for us this evening. eu leaders they appear united against trump. that is the picture we are seeing today for the candidate maintain this united front is the big question, and for how long? reporter: so far the eu seems to be determined to pick a fight with donald trump and tell him

the eu is very confident it isa giant heads. the eu is very confident it is a giant on the world stage, but despite all of this chest beating it will be a delicate balancing act for the eu because it's about more than trade. the us is europe's biggest and closest international ally and already brussels has fallen out with donald trump over the iran deal, the paris climate accord, the us moving its embassy to paris over nato and defence spending, and now tariffs, so although europe wants to stand strong and resolute it doesn't want to completely alienate its ally that it is looked to for support since world war ii, and this is also why a trade war with the us would lead to strains on eu unity, with countries like france wanting the toughest of lines, whereas countries like germany are little more hesitant. catcher adler, thank you, our europe editor. —— katya adler. while president trump was putting up trade barriers with some allies, he was trying to build bridges again with north korea, saying today that talks about a possi

the eu is particularly unhappy about this. yes, they were trying to talk to the us government to maintain the exemptions and those talks have not succeeded. the us has said they are not getting what they want so they are not imposing the tariffs and the eu say they do not negotiate when they hold a gun to the head, and thatis they hold a gun to the head, and that is the problem. there is only one winner, because they impose the tariff as of midnight tonight, something will have to give and that won't be the us. but the eu will retaliate may have said that. is starting a trade war? it does seem like that and it will be limited to start with and the eu will impose ta riffs start with and the eu will impose tariffs that impose about the same economic damage on the us as the us ta riffs economic damage on the us as the us tariffs on the eu and it will target it, so it will basically go for politically sensitive things like us motorbike manufacturers because they know certain politicians they fiaamugnrmsfi. 1314255 is! 1.4.5. fi

what about trade from switzerland into the eu? what about the trade from norway into the eu. what about the us and canadian border? there are 20 precedents for it working well. they should just get on with it. —— there are plenty of precedents. we should get on with it but there is division on it. borisjohnson is calling theresa may's favoured solution crazy last week. you have a serious minister, the foreign secretary, using language like that publicly. they are in complete disarray as a cabinet. the sooner this is dumped, the better. they are going to dump it, but what will they put in its place? a technical solution. does the eu like the technical solution? they've rejected it all so far. they are not playing games because they are not playing games because they are negotiating. they have set about the uk's two favoured options, they have rejected them both because they are wanting to keep ireland in the customs union. but this is all up for negotiation and i am optimistic stop our most economists optimists? it is the dismal scientists, but of course. this is all a hor

we want to keep trading with the eu. we want to keep trading with the eu and insist on that anyway. are we going to have different sets of standards? we could and up with that. the government seems to insist that. the government seems to insist that we will stay in some kind of customs arrangement for a longer than the transition period agreed until the end of 2020. and that technology will appear which will allow a facilitation of this frictionless trade the government says it wants. it is confusing and it is still worryingly hypothetical that nearly two years after the uk voted to leave the european union, the uk doesn't appear to have any strong practical options on the table, and the eu itself is saying the time —— the time it's taking. comparisons have been made with what turkey has. it is in the customs union but still manages to strike free—trade deals with other countries. those who are really keen ona hard countries. those who are really keen on a hard brexit don‘t want that either? no, they seem to be living ina either? no, they seem to be living in a utopian ideal

to stay close to the eu. at the moment, the message from the europeant is commission, the hartline. -- hartline. as we get close closer to the deadline, you may start to see some loosening as other capital say, hang on, we would like the u.k. to take part in these projects. vonnie: it will be interesting. today that say 20 or more pro-european conservatives are potentially considering rebelling against theresa may. that is a phenomenal block which may grow. what is the worry? >> that is right. that is what i was trying to get across today in my piece. the eu does see these disagreements in london and in the u.k. and realizes that, even in the government, between the conservatives and the oppositions, incomplete this agreements over the way brexit should go. one extreme, it should not happen to the other extreme, we should leave now and not wave goodbye. the european commission is taking advantage of those disagreements and trying to say, we will not -- get a common position and we can start talking properly.

the eu? for countries that aspire to eu membership that have association status, they want to be aligned with the eu policy broadly. because it helps bring their country forward as a whole. i think that's a great incentive. i think it both helps those countries and helps the sanctions regime itself. >> unity helps strengthen sanctions and hopefully give russia a chance and an opportunity to rethink its policy formation. and ambassador kurt volcker and dr. olya thank you so much for joining us, before i let you applaud our wonderful panelists, i want everybody to remain seated. sno ben cardin is about to appear. but join me in thanking kurt and olya in a great discussion. >> don't move. >>> subchitty will come to order. good afternoon and thank you all for being here today. to discuss the fiscal year 2019 and the fiscal year '20 budget for the department of veterans affairs. as far as federal domestic spending goes, this budget request makes the department of veterans affairs a very comfortabl

the new rules if dealing with eu citizens. gdpr spells out how companies can get our consent to use our personal information. a request for consent can't be buried under pages and pages of terms and conditions, it has to be clearly distinguishable from other matters. pre— ticked boxes can no longer be used to indicate consent. and making someone hand over more personal information in exchange for extra features or a proven service is also not allowed, because that doesn't count as freely given consent. the law gives all eu citizens the right to access and erasure. at any erasure. atany time erasure. at any time you can ask a company for a copy of your personal information and they'll have to comply within a month. you can tell a company to correct any data that is wrong, or ask a company to delete any personal data it holds about you and they'll have to have a good reason not to do so. gdpr also requires companies to keep our data safe to stop it being stolen. if there is a data breach, companies must inform their national r

i have been eu summits! so many eu deals are just kicking the can down the road, but this is not a can that can be kicked down the road. politically, either for the uk orfor the eu. the italians have got a populist government forming, so what they do? the teenager does badly in his exams, bloody brits, go home and kick the can! i think there was a british former secretary who used to talk about summits as being one to show that summits. i think it is one where you can unpack a very large number of shirts to get through that final one before a deal on brexit. donald trump and kim jong—un, the leader of north korea, could be talking after all. on thursday, after a series of incendiary statements from pyongyang, donald trump wrote to mr kim saying their face—to—face meeting next month was off. by friday night, though, president trump was tweeting that the two countries were having "productive talks" about meeting in singapore on june 12th, as originally planned. henry, in a sense, this is a bit of a trium

only 16% was relevant to the eu. which shows even if we did leave there would still be a market for our work abroad and be those connections. i refuse that everyone would stop making things. whatever your views on brexit, you think we have to make the best of it and the creative industries have to make the best of it? i think that's right. it is going to happen. there are opportunities, we are a strong exporting industry in publishing and there are opportunities for us outside europe. so yes. thank you. this is bbc news at 5 — the headlines: a crack down on high cost lending on domestic appliances, but charities say more action is needed to help the poorest and most vulnerable. pig's blood and a make—up artist — a russian journalist reveals more more details of how his death was faked. ronnie barker's famous ‘four candles' sketch is set to sell for £40,000 at auction tomorrow. the handwritten classic scene — voted the best—ever two ronnies sketch — was first aired by the bbc in 1976 and features barker

politically, either for the uk or for the eu. the italians have got a populist government forming, so what they do? the teenager does badly in his exams, bloody brits, go home and kick the can! donald trump and kim jong—un, the leader of north korea, could be talking after all. on thursday, after a series of incendiary statements from pyongyang, donald trump wrote to mr kim saying their face—to—face meeting next month was off. by friday night, though, president trump was tweeting that the two countries were having "productive talks" about meeting in singapore on june 12th, as originally planned. henry, in a sense, this is a bit of a triumph for donald trump's brinkmanship? the north korean suite him and pushed him and got a bit funny, andy said it off, they came running back? i think when you're dealing with a dictatorial secretive leader who. .. dealing with a dictatorial secretive leader who... it is impossible to predict what is going on, and also kimjong—un! predict what is going on, and also kim jong-un! come on! i t

to stop us leaving the eu. i have watched and listened with growing concern and incredulity as people who should know better have put down and spoken to amendments, most of which have been technically out of order and nothing to do with the bill before the house. it is interesting to note, and i speak as an ex—deputy speaker in the other place, that if we had a speaker — and that day may be much nearer than we think — none of the amendments put down by records of the bill would have been called and the bill would have been back in the commons long ago. lord framlingham, venting his anger over the handling of the eu withdrawal bill in the lords. so what happens to the heavily defeated bill now? have the lords overstepped the mark? what next for the legislation when it finally returns to the commons? questions i put to the snp's constitution spokesperson, pete wishart, and professor of politics at the university of hull and conservative peer, lord norton of louth. the lords have carried 15 amendments agains

and the eu after brexit. the warring factions within may's cabinet, some of them would like a close relationship with the eu, and under the side those that want a clean break so they can get on and do trade deals with the rest of the world, that is the heart of the debate. the inner cabinet, the inner brexit cabinet is meeting tomorrow. we might see afterwards how that plays out. in that cabinet, the balance has shifted in the last couple days to a harder brexit because we have a new home secretary. the previous one was very pro-remain. that has been replaced by sajid javid who has been replaced by a pro-brexita very attitude. david: one of the things that was promised was to do all of these wonderful trade deals outside the eu. they cannot do that if they are totally integrated. what does theresa may want? >> what theresa may wants is not entirely clear. we know that she is in the role she is still in because so far she has been able to keep the two factions broadly happy. part of that is because she has not

the agreed with the eu. but as yet, the cabinet hasn't come up with a final a nswer cabinet hasn't come up with a final answer as to what the deal may be. but letjeremy corbyn to talk to theresa may over the lack of clarity. when the prime minister wrote at the weekend that she wanted as little friction as possible, was she talking about eu trade or the next cabinet meeting? i think the right honourable gentleman knows full well that this government has a and of ensuring that as we do so we have as frictionless trade as possible in the union. that we have a solution which ensures we have no ha rd a solution which ensures we have no hard border between northern ireland and ireland, and also that we have and ireland, and also that we have an independent trade policy.“ and ireland, and also that we have an independent trade policy. if the prime minister cannot negotiate a good dealfor britain, why doesn't she step aside and let labour negotiate a comprehensive new customs union and living standard backed by t

but for the man in charge, leaving the eu is all about practicalities. much of their income comes from touring europe. if we had to go and sort out visits to embassies, visas, work permits, all of that, just to go to germany, france or the netherlands actually those tours become non—viable, which is a problem because we rely on that income but we also rely on that reputational pull. the same is true, frankly, of the instruments. paperwork for every instrument crossing every frontier is not what they want. so there are many questions. but the big issue, though, is how can we continue to grow our creative exports and it is possible the new trade deals we are going to do with the rest of the world will assist that. but there is a caveat, and that is the creative industry is really about selling digital packages around the world. you don't need lots of rules, regulations and standards for that. and we don't want the new trade deals we do to say you should run yourselves differently. so, there are hopes that brexit could help unlock new global trade deals b

eu officials say the uk plan would turn galileo from an eu programme into a joint uk—eu one, possibly handing us the ability to switch off the signal, but britain is not being entirely shut out. in my view, the 27 member states will discuss this issue and they will instruct the commission to offer more flexibility on this particular issue, because security cooperation between the european union and the united kingdom is an absolutely essential issue. so, some hope for britain, which may still have a role in your‘s answer to america's gps system. so send the satellites in space, with help from ground stations. it tells you exactly where you are on the earth at any particular time. you can use gps but you can't rely on it, because it's under the control of the american. that's fine, but if you're really going to use it for many, many applications that are highly sensitive, that are really important to europe or to our own nation, you have to have a level of control of your own. a tussle in space which is even prompted talk of a new satellite system with australia, may help define our

xetra dax is in the red, coming at a time when all of the eu leaders are meeting for the eu counc council. ftse mib is rebounding, up 50 points, 0.2%, a comeback after yesterday's weak session that is after another leak has been released to the press indicating that the five star and lega taken out the reference to leaving the eurozone, so for the time being there's somewhat of a relief rally going on in italian assets looking at sectors leadership this morning is coming from utilities, up 0.6% retail up 0.6% oil and gas having a good showing in line with the price action the last couple of days underperforming we have financial services, as i was just talking about this is on news of the uk bookmakers being forced to reduce the minimum gambling stake. food and beverages down 0.3% the major story is that of ocado branching its wings into the united states. >> the main story, the european union is willing to discuss lowering trade barriers with the u.s. but only if the reductions are reciprocal willem is at the eu summit we're coming up to the deadline of the extension that's june 1st. see

leaves the eu. the proposal has angered major economies who have to contribute more to europe's budget. after a short break i will be back to take you through the day. stick around for that. ♪ [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] (soft music) - [narrator] china is the second largest economy in the world, and it's expected to replace the us as the top economy in less than a decade. beijing is increasingly looking beyond its borders toward investments in asia and across the world. their ambitious plans could make china the epicenter of global trade. washington must find new ways to adjust to china's global expansion. china: the new silk road. next on great decisions. (soft music) - [announcer] great decisions is produced by the foreign policy association in association with thomson reuters. funding for great decisions is provided by

eu will stand up to him. if national security can be easily undermined as an argument, isn't it worth looking at the function of what president trump is doing, why is he doing this, if it will do the opposite to protecting american jobs? what is the function? i don't pretend to be able to get inside the minor president trump but i know he is someone president trump but i know he is someone who likes bilateral negotiations and he likes to hold the whip hand and put pressure on an interlocutors, but what he has to understand is that the world doesn't just stand by and say, that's fine, you do what ever you want, and we will sacrifice our interests for your benefit. that is not how the world should work and it has to operate within the rules framework that has been set out. he doesn't wa nt to that has been set out. he doesn't want to do that but the west of the world does and he will have to learn that lesson. —— the rest of the world. thanks forjoining us. our business correspondent kim gittleson is in new

last year they sold 40% of the weapons to eu and nato countries. here you can see the remaining 60% went to other countries around the world. every single german arms export needs a government license for nations outside the eu and nato come under particular scrutiny. so they have to meet human rights standards. they must not in danger regional political stability, and they should not clash either with germany or the european union's political interests. but the question is -- those on trial in germany are accused of supplying rifles used in crimes including the suspected massacre of 43 mexican students in 2014. if found guilty they could face up to five years in prison. reporter: in 2014, a bus full of mexican students was attacked by mexican police. six of the students were killed and 43 others disappeared without a trace. since, investigators have determined the attackers used german handguns. that is proof the german weapon maker's guns landed in certain mexican states illegally. the german government gave the green light to sell to the mexican

the only people talking about a hard border is the eu. while dublin they have a view, and people in brussels sit on their hands and wait, the british cabinets... britain's going to leave the eu next march, and there will be a short transition period of less than two years, but we still can't get, from the british government, a clear idea of exactly what they want. now, there are certain things, for example, by allowing northern ireland to stay within the customs union for a certain period of time, that may or may not work, but until the british government actually says, this is what we want, and this is what the entire british cabinet is behind... i'm sorry, this sort of posturing worked very well in the scottish referendum, when right up to it, they said it was very unclear what they wanted, it was actually very clear what the scots wanted. it is very clear that the united kingdom wants to be able to facilitate maximum possible trade with the eu withut signing... but how? what is the mechanism? we keep going around this. it is plain that

, reforming the eu? there are some worries, and rightly so, in europe, seeing this situation, this possible coalition government. alongside economic concerns, they resort so an argument being made about italy being one of the founders six. because they could leave the eu? i think at the moment neither leaving the eu nor the euro is on the table. but i can completely rule out that should the economy turned really bad in the future, then probably the two parties will blame the eurozone for the problems, and they might start even calling for italy to leave the currency in five to ten years. there are two missing pieces to this. one is berlusconi. does he still have an influence in italian politics? the other is the missing character, they haven't chosen a prime minister? yes, they haven't chosen a prime minister. that i think shows how difficult this relationship really is. it has been weeks, months, since the election results. and still we are not there. we have this coalition of the contract that didn't e

the eu said that if we leave the eu we cannot be part of the most secure and sensitive parts of their satellite system being built over the last 15 years. uk said, fine, we will build our own system and who can we clubbed together with? australia is a country we and share intelligence. they have expressed an interest albeit an early stage one. whether the uk will put up its own space whether the uk will put up its own s pa ce syste m whether the uk will put up its own space system or whether it will come to an agreement with the eu in the months ahead. also an interesting figure. £4 billion, that's not enough to build it. even i know that. this is a much more expensive thing. the project is so huge, this whole satellite navigation system, andl whole satellite navigation system, and i don't think you get that the just 4 billion. is this more brinkmanship of a kind? that it will go if the eu does not want to be a pa rt go if the eu does not want to be a part of it. it seems to be about eu rules and control data. we know the uk has to do compromise a lot in negotiations and the eu also

france, of course, is a founder eu member, while the swiss are not in the eu but are part of the single market, thanks to a series of bilateral agreements. again, though, they are not in the customs union. this is often held up as an example of what could be achieved in ireland, but here too there is physical infrastructure at all the main crossings. it is still a hard border and the average waiting time for lorries carrying goods, according to the international road transport union, from 20 minutes to more than two hours, if full inspections have to be carried out. in other words, technology is improving things and streamlining customs procedures at borders, and it will do more of that in the years to come, but if the uk leaves all the eu's economic structures, there is currently no example anywhere around europe, orfurther afield, that can keep the irish border after brexit as open as it is now. chris morris there. well, our assistant political editor, norman smith, is in westminster. how much chance of any agreement where you are this afternoon?m tells you something that even for thi

the uk exports half its goods to the eu. the government is hunting around for a solution and is under political pressure to choose a new customs arrangement. why, withjust six months to go before a draft brexit deal is signed off, are the government still considering options that we all know are not feasible? we will be leaving the customs union, we want to ensure we can have an independent trade policy. we also want to ensure that we deliver, we are committed to delivering on our commitment of no hard border between northern ireland and ireland, and ensuring we have as frictionless trade as possible with the european union. there are a number of ways in which that can be delivered. there certainly are. one idea being discussed is a plan for the uk to collect tariffs on the eu's behalf at airports and ports. known as the customs partnership, it has been met with scorn by brexiteers in theresa may's own party. the customs partnership does not in the end meet the stated objectives of the government. it doesn't meet the commitm

this is a very strategic region for the eu. at this summit talking about connectivity with the western balkans, instead of using the words "enlargement" or "adhesion." >> thank you. seoul has vowed to mediate between the u.s. and north korea after pyongyang threatens to cancel a summit between kim jong-un and donald trump which is scheduled for june 12. south korea announced on wednesday it might not attend -- north korea announced on wednesday it might not attend if washington demands they abandon their nuclear arsenal. saying he hasn't received any inclination on the talks being in jeopardy. israel says it has launched an overnight air raid on a hamas facility in gaza after gunfire in the territory covered soldiers and damaged a building. mass protests saw 60 palestinians killed by israeli forces. hamas has claimed that most of the palestinians killed were members of the infamous group. netanyahu has responded saying israel will continue to protect itself. spokesman said today 50 of the 60 people killed were hamas' people. is

in other words, we would charge tariffs on goods coming into britain en route to the eu at the eu's level. that has incensed brexiteers because they say that britain would in effect be the eu's tax collector and it would inhibit other countries from having trade deals with us and they think it is so hideously, but that it would end in failure and we would end up remaining inside the customs union. mrs may faces a stark choice. she can either confront those brexiteers or confront the pro—remainers in about you urging the to go for the other option which the to go for the other option which the customs arrangements relying on smart new technology to minimise border controlled but there would be a border, including a board of sorts in northern ireland. —— a border. she faces a critical moment. thank you. let's take a look at the market. brexit always have an impact on the pound which has been looking a bit weaker lately. the ftse is in positive territory today. we have had some soft that manufacturing data at which means the bank of england rate rise might not be as likely as many peop

how is the eu seeing this ?nlikely eurosceptic coalition plenty inthere is agreement here in brussels to make people very uncomfortable. you have one known entity and one unknown and the. the larger party is this new movement. the front person is luigi demaio. he has been very -- he has made a lot of efforts to reassure the european union this is not a eurosceptic already. they will not do anything toward brussels. on the other hand, you have the northern league, the party that has been -- has been around for a long time. they are very hard right. but neither are eurosceptic in the same way the u.k. independence party is eurosceptic. they are not calling for italy .o leave the eu they are not calling for italy to leave the euro. but they are e.u. critical. they have a proposal to publiciate italy's debts, proposals to end austerity, and most uncomfortably, it calls for a reopening of the eu treaties, something that brussels is terrified of doing. this will be very unpredictable. that's the main reaction here in

theresa may has reaffirmed her commitment to leaving the eu customs union. it comes as ministers consider two alternative options for trading post—brexit. now on bbc news, the week in parliament. hello and welcome to the week in parliament. coming up: peers inflict a string of defeats on the government over the eu withdrawal bill and tempers fray. if anybody is undermining the government at the moment, it's the foreign secretary rubbishing the prime minister! the government says sorry for the uk's part in the kidnap

about heart of this, the eu say it is a fun to see what the uk government is talking about. there has to be progress before thejune summit when they need to see the uk's proposed solutions. people in the irish republic are voting in a referendum about whether to change the country's abortion laws. voters will decide whether to repeal the eighth amendment of the irish constitution — which bans all terminations, except when the mother's life is in danger. a burglar who attacked a d—day veteran in his home with a claw hammer has been convicted of attempted murder. joseph isaacs, who's 40, attacked 96—year—old jim booth last november. jon kay reports from taunton crown court on the veteran who was left for dead. when you've been recognised for outstanding bravery at d—day, when you've been praised by prime ministers and have even danced with a duchess, it seems nothing phases you. then he was charging, lifting the thing. and pushed me backwards, right up the path. for the first time, 96—year—old jim booth is describing the moment he was attacked in his somerset hom

iran is putting a lot of pressure on the usa and eu. it is saying it could restart its nuclear programme. the iranian leadership had a lot of political capital on negotiating with this deal, and negotiating with this deal, and negotiating directly with the usa. if the deal falls through, it will damage the president and his credibility. he will lose power to hardliners who are already circling. they're trying to get ready for forthcoming elections any few years. if president trump does decide to pull out, is there any chance that the deal could continue with the other players who are signed up to? 0r other players who are signed up to? or is that not feasible once the president decides to pull out‘s presumably to renew sanctions on iran to. then a mac much depends on how he pulls out. he could pull out very dramatic dramatically. he could impose sanctions and the deal will die. most countries could not bear the financial burden of this action pressure. if president trump does not choose to pull wholescale financial sanctions in compan

attended an eu—balkans summit in bulgaria. gavin lee reports from sofia. side by side with germany and france on sofia's lovers' bridge, a spring walk for the prime minister in a coordinated show of unity on the streets of bulgaria during an informal eu summit. brexit isn't on the agenda but theresa may is meeting leaders in the sidelines who still want answers over what britain wants. the main sticking point, the irish border, avoiding customs checks while controlling the flow of goods between the republic and northern ireland. reports this morning suggests the government may ask to extend the irish customs arrangements to beyond 2021, to prevent causing chaos for cross—border trade. not true, the prime minister told me. we will be negotiating future customs arrangements with the european union. i've set three objectives. the government has three objectives in those. we need to be able to have our own independent trade policy. we want as frictionless a border between the uk and the eu so that trade can continue, and we want to ensure that there is no ha

there's a lot of countries in the eu that do an awful lot of trade. the big players in terms of eu trade with iran are germany, france and italy. overall, the trade last year was worth about $23 billion. this is a substantial stake riding on the outcome of these negotiations with the united states. let's face it, that's probably a negotiating tactic as much as anything because back in 1996 the reason why it is never been tested is because they didn't never had to enforce it because bill clinton as it was then came back to the negotiating table. what they are trying to do is by raising the spectre of this blocking the statutes they are hoping donald trump will come back to the negotiating table. they don't know at this stage of this would work with a very different character would like donald trump in the white house. they could have the opposite effect is tough negotiator and they have already got the added problem of the us threats of tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the eu. there are several trade disputes ratting along at the same time.

this is really important to ireland and the eu. michelle was looking at the border yesterday, there has been a huge amount of support for the irish that there must not be a border. mark: they will have a new plan to kickstart the talks to get under way are in emma: the u.k. ,as come up with a new proposal i think more than anything it engage and to to reach some kind of breakthrough. they want to look at option a and b together. the difference is that the u.k. says the backstop is in reserve, it want come to that. in the eu, they view is that it probably will come to a backstop because they can't think the free trade agreement will be better. the backdrop of course is unacceptable to the u.k. because it's going to be annexing northern ireland which to them would be unacceptable. mark: what are we expecting? emma: he is quite frank. the key difference apart from ireland is the future relationship, what the u.k. will ask the eu for the future , the inner cabinet is meeting tomorrow. amber rod was very much pro-remain, wanting a soft

just to pick up on your question about the eu, u.s. coordination, that's harmonious with what he said. i'll just make the point that the coordination that exists between -- perhaps i should say existed between the united states and the eu in the development of these ankzs authorities and their implementation was really a remarkable piece of foreign policy and policy coordination. it brought together these authorities in economic sectors that were challenging for many people involved. obviously there were much greater connectivity with russia. so to organize the creation and implementation of these measures which was unprecedented in this fashion in such economically sensitive areas was administratively really notable. also, the reason it was done is because there's a belief, to which i subscribe, that there's stronger messaging value and economic consequence and also it's harder for russia to divide trans-atlantic partners when there's a shared approach toward the creation and implementation of these measures. there's a little bit of p

but the eu, canada and mexico were given a temporary exemption from the import taxes. the exemption was about to expire, but it's been extended untiljune. one country which hasn't received any exemption at all is china, which currently has a $375 billion trade surplus with the us. thank you. our economics correspondent, andrew walker, joins me now. outlining the fact it would seem that the canon has been kicked down the road, what does it tell us about where the trump administration is that? -- where the trump administration is that? —— the canon. where the trump administration is that? -- the canon. there is some prospect of getting an agreement with the eu, canada and mexico, they are looking for in particular an agreement to restrict on part of those countries that exports going from there into the us, and exports of steel and aluminium. that is what korea has agreed, permanent exemption from the tariffs. we know some sort of exemption in principle has been agreed for brazil, argentina and australia. we do not know the details, but it is likely that will be some

mps doubtful about brexit want to steer a course close to the eu, for the sake of british business. ultimately, it's about getting the right deal in the national interest, something that means that we don't go backwards in northern ireland, but also that our manufacturers are able to conduct trade across borders without unnecessary barriers. tonight, there are signs borisjohnson may rather stay and fight for his vision of trade after brexit inside the cabinet. but brexiteers won't like any customs compromise. there is still a chance that parliament may demand britain stays inside the eu customs system, and brussels mayjust throw out the whole idea. brexit was always likely to lead to trouble in the cabinet, in parliament, and in brussels. theresa may surely can't have imagined it would be quite this tough. labour has sacked debbie abrahams as shadow work and pensions secretary, after investigating allegations of workplace bullying. ms abrahams, the mp for oldham east and saddleworth, rejected the allegations and said the investigation had not been fair or independent. rail companies

union. can have a sort of pick and mix and departure from the eu. departure from the eu. their view is if you leave, you leave. if you leave, you leave. norman, thank you. our top story this lunchtime. recommend such a move. and still to come — not a gamble. inexperienced players in his world cup squad. to death threats aimed at referee lucy 0liver. appearance for juventus. putting 800 jobs at risk. financial position. our business correspondent emma simpson has more. ones for decades, but it's in trouble. trouble. days shoppers have a lot more choice. choice. it ranges, all different shops, supermarkets, next, primark. shops, supermarkets, next, primark. what about motherca re? what about mothercare? know, too expensive. expensive. it sounds like mothercare has more competition these days. has more competition these days. shop that just did baby things and it was very, very popular. it was very, very popular. looking at what i wanted and i loved it. it. it seems outdated, when i think about it, motherca re. it seems outdated, when i think about it, mothercare. about it

eu tariffs would be matched. people we re tariffs would be matched. people were worried about a hard border on the island of ireland. it would prevent a border in the irish sea. the danger is it will anger brexiteers will argue that the —— uk stays too closely tied to the eu. number 10 has dismissed that, saying it would be the same staying in the customs union, the uk could do it on trade deals. and they don't think the backstop idea will happen because they are confident the uk can come up because they are confident the uk can come up with a good customs deal. what this really is is a small step on what remains a difficult, conjugated, long road. what it really shows is just how far there are still is to go. meghan markle has confirmed that her father will not be at her wedding to prince harry on saturday. thomas markle had been expected to walk his daughter down the aisle. in a statement she said he is staying in the united states so he can focus on his health. prince harry and his fiance were in windsor t