31/03/2017 BBC News at Ten

No talk on trade until there's a deal on the divorce.

The EU rejects the Government's Brexit plan.

As the EU publishes its Brexit strategy,

Talks, which are about to start, will be difficult, complex and

We'll be asking how this tough talk has gone down in Downing Street.

Also tonight, hard decisions for the NHS

Why improvements in A and cancer care could mean longer waits

President Trump backs former adviser Mike Flynn -

sacked over his links to Russia - and says he should get

Closing down centuries of Ivory trading in China -

And a Scotsman makes a flying visit to the newly reopened Settle

And coming up in Sportsday on BBC News: Could Celtic become

Scottish Premiership champions without even playing?

Well, only if second-placed Aberdeen lost at Dundee tonight.

Good Evening and welcome to the BBC News at Ten.

The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk,

has warned of tough and sometimes confrontational talks ahead,

as Britain and the European Union start two years of Brexit

The EU today published its strategy, refusing Theresa May's request

to have parallel talks on a future trade deal.

Mr Tusk said there had to be "sufficient progress" on issues such

as the status of citizens in each other's countries, and the border

between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic,

before future relations could be discussed.

And, for the first time, the issue of Gibraltar featured

Our Europe editor, Katya Adler, has our first report.

The chiefs of EU institutions are usually little known outside the

Brussels bubble. But Brexit has changed all that. This is my first

divorce... Dusky Lark dusk, president of the -- Donald Tusk,

president of the European Council, today presented the draft Brexit

guidelines. The mood music - polite but steely. The talkeds, which are

about to start, will be difficult, complex and sometimes even

confrontational. Mr Tusk was the recipient of the Prime Minister's

Brexit letter this Wednesday. Why him? Because he represents all EU

countries here in Brussels and they call the shots on big EU political

decisions. The EU says it doesn't want to punish Britain. It wants to

keep the UK close with trade and security ties. But gone are those

words of sadness and regret that poured out of Brussels after the

Brexit vote. Now that the formal process of leaving has begun, the

EU's message today: We're ready for you. The EU is committed to a phase

add preach to Brexit -- phased approach to Brexit. Phase one, the

divorce. Top priorities for the EU - safeguarding the rights of EU

citizens in the UK and of Britons across the EU. Agreeing a one-off

exit fee for the UK to cover outstanding financial commitments

and resolving Ireland's land border issue without harming the Good

Friday agreement. Phase two: Discussing future EU-UK relations,

but only once significant progress has been made on the divorce. Phase

three: Making traditional agreements, if needed to bridge the

end of Article 50 talks and start a new era in EU-UK relations. There

are bumps in the road aplenty, British and European ones even

before negotiations start. Today there was a surprise row over

Gibraltar. The EU draft guidelines say no future agreement with the UK

can apply to Gibraltar without a nod from Spain, which disputes Britain's

sovereignty over the territory. The Foreign Secretary had to defend the

Prime Minister's Brexit guidelines the EU perceived a UK threat to

withdraw security cooperation if it didn't get a good trade deal. The

UK's commitment to the defence and the security of this region, of

Europe, is unconditional and it is not some bargaining chip in any

negotiatiations. But EU countries are wary. If we see the letter that

has been sent by the British Prime Minister, some would say it was a

little bit aggressive. That's not the attitude that we will be having

around the table. I mean, yes, we are willing to come to an agreement,

but if you ask too much, then maybe there is no agreement and I'm not

sure if that's a good thing for the British. Picking and choosing is

fine, in Belgian chocolate shops. But Brussels says Britain can forget

having a bit of this and none of that when it comes to the single

market. There is goodwill on both sides, but having cake and eating it

will be one of Britain's Brexit challenges. Katya Adler, BBC News,

Brussels. Our deputy political

editor, John Pienaar, Theresa May wanted parallel talks on

divorce and trade. She hasn't got that. What's the reaction been?

Well, Downing Street never really expected Donald Tusk's first

response to be especially encouraging and it wasn't. The

reaction has been pretty cordial, marking time and hoping somehow to

turn the negotiations Britain's way when they get started. As for those

negotiations, when they start, ministers will begin confident they

can secure the rights of EU nationals in this country and Brits

on the continent pretty quickly, pretty easily. Gibraltar looks

tougher. Boris Johnson has posted a message on Twitter this evening

pledging Britain to be rock like in support of Gibraltar over Spanish

claims of sovereignty. Ministers will have to seek understanding,

respecting the wishes of people there and without Spain in the words

of one minister to me, losing too much face. Tougher still is the

financial settlement. Any big deal will meet a wall of resistance from

Tory hard liners. Some of them would be quite happy to walk away with no

deal making a clean break from the EU. There's another big challenge.

After all the talk of taking back control, keeping public opinion on

side with the compromises and tradeoffs to come could be tougher

than anything. It's been a day of heavy, enormous political challenges

or if you prefer a normal day in the office in British politics these

days. Many thanks. Hotels, restaurants and the tourism

industry have warned they'll face a recruitment crisis,

if immigration from the EU is heavily restricted

after the UK leaves. The British Hospitality Association

says it relies on 60,000 EU workers a year, but unions have accused

the sector of not doing enough to Our economics editor,

Kamal Ahmed, reports. The hospitality sector -

holiday parks, restaurants, hotels - is all about entertainment,

making customers happy. But this is a sector

with its fair share of worries, It has relied for years

on workers from the EU. Could that supply be

about to be cut off? Agnieszka is from Poland and works

for Butlins in Bognor Regis. There's loads of question marks,

and we lost the stability now. My son, he's eight,

he knew just a basic thing about the Brexit,

but his concerns that we are going to leave his school,

that he will leave his The hospitality industry employs

three million people and is the fourth-largest sector

in the UK. Of those workers,

24% are from the EU. And in some sectors,

the figure is much higher. 75% of all waiting staff

are from the continent. I asked the Butlins boss

about the challenges If the tap is just turned

off straightaway, that We rely on a third of our work base

from European employees. To be able to turn that straight off

and replace it straight off More than 60% of voters here voted

to leave the European Union and at least part of the reason

for that was concerns about immigration, one of the big

unresolved issues in these Theresa May knows she has to achieve

a delicate balancing act, between responding to those

concerns, but at the same time allowing businesses,

whole economic sectors, Whether it's coffee shops,

hotels that rely on foreign staff, or pulling a pint in your local pub,

this is a sector facing criticism that it is not doing enough to train

British workers and pay is too low. It's kind of laziness for them

to say that if they are not able to recruit migrant workers there's

going to be a crisis It's a crisis of their own creation

and they need to be focusing on how do they actually get people to come

into the industry? The hospitality sector says

it is looking to new horizons, looking for the British

workers it needs. But it will be a long process -

ten years - before a reliance on millions of EU workers

is turned around. The Scottish First Minister has said

there's "no rational reason" for the UK Government

to block her request for a second Nicola Sturgeon has written

to Theresa May asking for Westminster to authorise another

vote, because of Brexit. The Prime Minister has insisted that

"now is not the time" Our Scotland editor, Sarah Smith,

is in Edinburgh tonight. Sarah, it sounds as if Theresa May's

unlikely to change her mind. What can Nicola Sturgeon now practically

do? Well, in her letter Nicola Sturgeon made it clear she's not

just going to accept Theresa May telling her there can't be talks

about another Scottish independence referendum. She didn't go into

detail about what she might actually do. So what are her options? Well,

some of the more drastic steps like calling an early election to the

Scottish Parliament seem quite unlikely at this stage. What she

might be able to do is try and disrupt the Brexit legislation, like

the great repeal bill that's going to bring all those powers, currently

exercised in Brussels, back to the UK. To make that happen, there may

have to be legislation put through the Scottish Parliament. If Holyrood

refused to do that, they could probably delay the progress of that

bill, even if they can't derail it entirely. That's one option. You can

be certain the Scottish Government is going to look for every

opportunity they can from now on to try and keep the pressure on Number

Ten, try and force them to talk about a referendum. Now Theresa May

has not actually responded to this letter yet. She's not sent a reply.

Downing Street have made it clear again tonight they will not enter

into any negotiations about the timing or the arrangements for an

independence referendum until after the UK has left the EU and until

after voters have had a chance to see how the Brexit deal is working

in practise. Sarah, many thanks. Sarah Smith there.

The head of the NHS in England has admitted that it can't meet one

of its key targets - giving people routine operations,

such as hip and knee replacements, within 18 weeks of being referred

Simon Stevens, who set out his priorities for

the Health Service today, said it was part of the "trade off"

for improvements in other areas like cancer care.

He's been speaking to our health editor, Hugh Pym.

The NHS serves patients from cradle to grave,

but there are difficult choices, and the message today

is that it offers high quality care in many areas,

but something has to give, and that's waiting lists

for routine surgery, for patients like Christine.

She waited 22 weeks for a heart bypass operation, longer than NHS

It's caused her a lot of anxiety and she's decided to go private.

The sword of Damocles is hanging over my head.

I couldn't say categorically I'm going to be able to do something.

I feel I am getting, not worse, but more tired.

The head of NHS England explained his immediate priorities,

including A and cancer care, to health staff today,

but waiting lists for routine operations, for a while,

Might more patients be waiting longer and might they be very

We need to fix the most urgent problems first.

I think most people can see that ensuring that our A and GP

services are able to properly look after people across the country has

Having done that, we want to be able to also ensure that we are meeting

That's worried some medical leaders, who say longer waits

We know that people occasionally die on waiting lists,

The longer you wait, the more the likelihood that will happen.

This health centre, where Mr Stevens was today,

provides a range of services and treatments to patients.

There's also a dentist and pharmacist as well as GP practices.

The idea is to treat as many people as possible away from hospitals.

He wants to see more of this sort of thing around the country,

It will also take time to improve the nation's health,

but they're starting young here at schools in Lancashire.

Children run a mile a day, with the NHS promoting the initiative.

We know that we want to change things for the future generation.

50, 70 years' time, we don't want people dying in their 50s and 60s

We want to tackle some of the major things we're seeing around diabetes.

We've built a fantastic partnership with the schools

here and we are teaching children to be really active.

For now, a key question is whether the NHS budget

There's no doubt that with the extra money the NHS has got,

we should be able to bring about the improvements

Obviously, decisions for the future are for the future.

Today we're talking about the practical steps

In other words, we're doing what we can with the money

available, but asking for more at some stage is not

President Trump has again come to the defence of his former

national security adviser who was sacked after lying

about phone conversations with the Russian ambassador.

Mike Flynn said he was prepared to give evidence to investigators

who are looking into claims that Russia tried to influence

the US election, but only in return for immunity.

President Trump tweeted his agreement, and said Mr Flynn had

Our North America editor Jon Sopel has the latest.

The allegations that just won't go away -

that there was collusion between the Russian

government and the Trump team during last year's election.

And much of the attention is now focused on this man,

Until a few weeks ago he was the national security adviser

and one of those closest to the president.

But his fall from grace has been swift, after he was found to have

lied to the vice president over his contacts with the Russians.

Michael Flynn held conversations with the Russian ambassador

in Washington, which among other things discussed the lifting of US

sanctions against Russia - which he denied.

He was paid $45,000 to attend a dinner in Moscow, hosted by the TV

station Russia Today, and was seated at the same

He also lobbied on behalf of another foreign government, Turkey,

although that wasn't disclosed at the time.

Today, Donald Trump rallied to his side with this tweet.

"Mike Flynn should ask for immunity, in that this is a witchhunt,

excuse for big election loss by media and Dems of

But this is what Donald Trump and Michael Flynn said

during the campaign, when it emerged that Clinton aides

had sought immunity over disclosing information about her use

If you're not guilty of a crime, what do you need immunity for?

When you're given immunity it means you've probably committed a crime.

So is there worry at the White House that his information

No - he believes that Mike Flynn should go and testify.

He should go up there and do what he has to do

In the meantime the Russians are again dismissing as fake news

suggestions that they've been up to no good.

Lots of Americans, they do think that yes, Russian

hackers are everywhere, Russian hackers are in every fridge,

Russian hackers are in every iron and so on and so forth,

But the Defence Secretary James Mattis, who's in London

at the moment, expressed about Russia, stretching

beyond their involvement in the most recent presidential election.

Russia's violations of international law are now a matter of record,

from what happened with Crimea, to other aspects of their behaviour

in mucking around inside other people's elections and that

On Capitol Hill, investigations into Russian activity go on,

but sources are saying it's unlikely that Michael Flynn will be given

What we still don't know is whether General Flynn has a giant tin of

beans but he's going to be able to spill, or whether this is just

sensible self protection that he is engaged in, by asking for immunity.

They have but his solicitor has done nothing to dampen speculation by

saying he has a story to tell. That has left many Democrats and

journalists salivating in Washington and probably left a few people at

the White House having some restless nights sleeps in the days and weeks

ahead. Thank you, John. It's being called one

of the most significant steps ever taken in the fight

to save the African elephant. Today, China - which is thought

to be the destination for up to 70% of the trade in ivory -

closed down nearly half of its ivory The ivory trade has seen numbers

of African elephants plunge from an estimated 3-5 million

in the early part of the 20th century, to fewer

than 0.5 million now. Our Beijing correspondent

John Sudworth reports. Chinese ivory carving dates

back hundreds of years. But these craftsmen

will be the last. The UN's top wildlife official

is on hand to witness the shutdown. This is a momentous day in China,

where we see this decision This is a momentous decision

and it's worthy of attention. China's move comes not

a moment too soon. The African elephant is teetering

on the brink of extinction. And the majority of this slaughter,

perhaps as much as 70%, This business is one of those

being forced to close today. The markings and certifications

show that the tusks come from authorised stockpiles -

ivory that China was allowed to buy under international law

in the hope it would suppress And even if you abolish it,

it won't stop the illegal trade. But campaigners, including

Prince William, who has personally lobbied China's leaders

on the issue, disagree. Factories like this one, they argue,

send a signal to consumers that ivory is OK to buy and they provide

criminals with an opportunity. Certifications for pieces like this

one can in fact easily be forged and the reality is,

however inadvertently, China's illegal ivory trade has

acted as cover for a much larger illegal black market

smuggling operation. So that's why the step being taken

here is so important. The complete closure

of China's officially They look like they

are ivory products... It's true that the criminals

won't be stopped entirely. It's already illegal to sell ivory

in China over the Internet, and yet it took us just a few clicks

to find it. "Where's it from?"

we ask. "The ivory's from Africa,"

comes the reply. Nonetheless, it's a bold

and important step. China is sacrificing this

ancient art in order A brief look at some

of the day's other news stories. West Midlands Police have charged

a 23-year-old man with a double Aaron Barley is alleged to have

fatally stabbed Tracey Wilkinson He's also charged with the attempted

murder of the boy's father, Peter. The driver of the bin lorry that

crashed in Glasgow killing six people has been banned from driving

for three years. Harry Clarke had his licence

withdrawn following the crash in December 2014, but was spotted

by neighbours driving Workers at BMW's Mini

and Rolls-Royce car plants in the UK The dispute is over the closure

of the company's final The union says some workers

could lose up to ?160,000 Google paid ?36 million

in corporation tax in the UK It made profits of nearly

?149 million on sales In South Africa, there's growing

criticism of President Zuma from within his own party,

after a reshuffle in which he removed some key

figures from government. There's been particular anger -

and protests held in the street - over his decision to sack

the widely-respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan,

who's clashed with Mr Zuma over Our correspondent Milton Nkosi

is in Johannesburg. How much pressure is

President Zuma under? Well, he is under a great deal of

pressure tonight, as his comrades are calling for him to resign. He's

been under pressure before, for his lavish lifestyle, for example for

spending public funds renovating his private home. But the sacking of

Pravin Gordhan, the finance minister, is seen by many here is

the last straw. This has also affected the currency, the rand,

which has devalued by about 8% since the reshuffle drama began. There is

also the wider implication politically for him, because

opposition parties are threatening a vote of no confidence in parliament.

Others are saying that they will institute the impeachment

proceedings as soon as they can. President Zuma himself has got

factions within the ashen -- African National Congress that he is trying

to manoeuvre around. He has, through this reshuffle, paying some of the

loyalists in the party and also punishing his opponents. There a

leadership contest later this year for the leadership of the party and

he wants his wife to take over. The current dip into President Cyril

Ramaphosa is very keen to take over the post as well. -- deputy

president. Celtic will win the Scottish

Premiership for a sixth consecutive time if they can beat

Hearts this weekend. They are 22 points clear,

with nine games still to play. Our sports correspondent,

Natalie Pirks, has been speaking to the Celtic manager and former

Liverpool boss, Brendan Rodgers, about the team's success -

and whether the league COMMENTATOR: It's Armstrong

and that's terrific! Just one of the many adjectives used

to describe Celtic's record-breaking and potentially

treble winning season. COMMENTATOR: And they made

it look so, so easy. Unbeaten in the league,

they've swept all before them Their manager is understandably

loving life at his childhood club. There might be more prestigious

leagues, there might be more competitive leagues,

but in terms as a football club, there are not too many bigger

than Glasgow Celtic. When you're manager of that

and when you supported it, the club, COMMENTATOR: Here here they come,

the champions of Europe. Success courses

through Celtic's veins. The most revered side

in their history were the so-called Lisbon Lions of 1967,

who won the European Cup. And there's Jock Stein

himself, there he is. But even Jock Stein's legendary side

didn't go as many games unbeaten This hasn't been a title race,

it's been a procession, and it's led to criticism

that the league lacks competition. The English Premier League

is the most competitive league in the world,

the top team to the bottom team. The money, the finance

that's there allows every You don't quite have the investment

and the money up here, but what we have to do at a club

like Celtic is earn every single penny, get the most that we possibly

can by winning the league, trying to qualify for

Champions League, which is very, very difficult, and trying to keep

growing the club. As the league winners,

Celtic get Scotland's only Champions League spot,

worth ?26 million this season. Has that cash created a gulf

others can't bridge? Is it that Scottish football has

fallen behind, or is it that Celtic And I think a lot is to do

with what Brendan Rodgers has brought to Celtic,

has meant they are driving Their sixth consecutive title

will cement a dominance that shows The Flying Scotsman was back on one

of Britain's most scenic tracks this morning,

as it marked the reopening The route was closed

by a landslip a year ago. I should warn you Danny

Savage's report contains One of the most famous names

in the world of steam on one of the most famous

railway lines in Britain. The Settle-Carlisle route runs

through the beautiful upland countryside of

Yorkshire and Cumbria. But for 16 months, there's

been no through-traffic Today, the line reopened and

hundreds of people came along to see the celebratory service

and to breathe a sigh of relief. It's absolutely wonderful,

because it's my lifeline to get I'm a non-driver, but I do love

to escape to the shops Although this wonderful

old locomotive is attracting all the headlines today,

the big issue for the more remote communities along this line is that

they've got their main transport link back, and that means a return

of visitors and business. ?23 million has been

spent repairing the line. It's the biggest fix Network Rail

has ever undertaken, Built in the 1870s, threatened

with closure in the 1980s, this old-fashioned but much loved

railway route is open again. Now on BBC One, it's time

for the news where you are.