25/02/2018 BBC Weekend News

Good afternoon.

Labour would keep the UK

in a customs union

with the European Union

after Brexit, according

to a senior minister.

Sir Kier Starmer told the BBC's

Andrew Marr Show that a new treaty,

replicating the existing customs

arrangement, would be best

for the economy and would respect

the referendum result.

The Prime Minister is committed

to leaving both the single market

and the customs union

and she is expected to outline

the Government's position

in more detail this week.

Emma Vardy reports.

After months of uncertainty over

Labour's position, no other party is

moving decisively away from a

so-called hard Brexit. It has been

unanimously agreed according to the

Shadow Brexit Secretary, Sir Keir

Starmer said Jeremy Corbyn will

announce tomorrow that Labour

government policy would be per the

UK to enter the new customs union

with the EU after Brexit.

We long

championed being in a customs union

with the EU and the benefits of

that, it is the only way

realistically to get tariff free

access, really important for

manufacturing and nobody can answer

the question of how you keep your

commitment to no hard border in

Northern Ireland without a customs

union.

Staying in a customs union

would mean Britain continuing to

trade freely with other EU

countries, this, says Sir Keir

Starmer, would be best for Britain's

manufacturers, but it would limit

our ability to strike new trade

deals outside Europe. Brexit

supporting Labour MPs say staying so

closely tied to the EU

closely tied to the EU does not keep

to the spirit of the referendum

result.

What is wrong with it is the

country voted to leave and while it

is really important we negotiate

free-trade agreement with Europe,

the EU is a bankrupt organisation,

it has never had its accounts signed

off, it needs our money.

The

Conservatives have warned it is

crunch time with Theresa May, the

pro-EU MPs could defeat the

government in the Commons when

Parliament votes on the terms of the

final Brexit deal. But the trade

secretary Liam Fox encouraged to

remain supporting Tories to unite

behind Theresa May when she sets out

the Government's plans for the

future relationship with the EU next

week.

I think when the rest of the

Parliamentary party hears on Friday

as the Prime Minister set set out at

she will win over Anna I hope they

will have an open mind and listen to

what the Prime Minister says.

Now

there is a clear difference between

the Tories and Labour on Brexit.

Emma is here now.

How politically significant do you

think this shift from Labour is on

the customs union?

Lots of questions

over whether this has the potential

to bring down the Government,

whether they could be defeated in a

vote. The Prime Minister has ruled

out staying within a customs union

because it would constrain Britain's

ability to strike other trade deals.

But the pro-EU Tory former minister

Anna Soubry has tabled an amendment

backing membership of a customs

union and on paper it is thought

that our round ten Conservative MPs

supporting this. But if it really

came together crunch, would they go

that far to defeat Theresa May while

that could be seen as paving the way

for another general election which

could deliver a Labour government?

Strong warning from the

Conservatives in Duncan Smith to

colleagues, saying, do not play into

Labour's tactical game.

Thank you

very much indeed.

The closing ceremony

of the Winter Olympics

in South Korea has been taking

place, bringing to an end 16 days

of sporting and political drama.

Russian athletes were not allowed

to march under their national flag

at the closing ceremony after two

of the team's members

failed drugs tests.

But the International Olympic

Committee says it will lift

the ban after the Games,

if no more Russians test positive.

Andy Swiss reports from Pyeongchang.

The sound of defiance...

Over a neutral anthem,

the Russian anthem being sung

by the gold-medal-winning ice hockey

team of the Olympic athletes

from Russia.

On the very day their nation

was getting a reprieve, 160 of their

athletes have had to compete

here under a neutral flag while

Russia wasn't granted their flag

for the closing ceremony

their Olympic ban is

now set to be lifted.

Despite two Russian

athletes including

curler Alexander Krushelnitsky

failing drugs tests here.

There are cases of

negligence, but there is no

indication whatsoever for a systemic

or systematic doping.

As for Team GB, well,

it was

a disappointing final day.

Their bobsleighers

finishing 17th and 18th.

But with five medals,

including Lizzy Yarnold's

it's been their most successful

Winter Games ever.

We're very happy.

This is an historic games

for us, it's our best

of the Winter Olympics.

We have three medals

in one day on that

Saturday, we had back-to-back gold

medals with Lizzy Yarnold.

But these Games have

been about politics as

well as sport.

President Trump's daughter

Ivanka among those

attending the closing ceremony.

While after parading

under a unified flag

at the start of the Games, the

North and South Korean athletes once

again entered the stadium together,

embracing the spirit of celebration.

The large contingent from Team GB

also enjoyed their moment,

finally a chance to relax.

For the hosts who have been

widely praised for their

organisation, it's been

a memorable fortnight.

But at last, it was time to lower

the Olympic flag and hand

it over to Beijing who will hold

the next Games in four years' time.

It has a tough act to follow

as Pyeongchang put on

a dazzling spectacle.

A Games which has made so many

headlines

is saying goodbye in style.

Andy Swiss, BBC News, Pyeongchang.

Reports from Syria suggest

government forces have

continued their attack

on the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta,

despite a UN demand

for a 30-day ceasefire.

In the last week, some 500 people

are said to have been killed

in air and ground attacks

by government forces.

China's state news agency says

the ruling Communist Party

has proposed a change

to the constitution

that would allow the president

and vice president to stay in power

for more than two terms.

The current president,

Xi Jinping, is due to step down

from his role in 2022.

Our China correspondent is in

Beijing, how significant is this

move?

This proposal could see the

biggest change to the leadership of

this country, the second-biggest

economy in world, of course, for...

Hello? Hello?

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We are so sorry for the technical

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