:00:18. > :00:25.As I talk to you, Theresa May and the other 27 leaders of the EU are
:00:26. > :00:31.having dinner. This is what the Prime Minister said she arrived. The
:00:32. > :00:41.UK is leading the EU and we will continue to play a full role until
:00:42. > :00:45.we leave. We will also discuss the number of elections coming up within
:00:46. > :00:52.the EU and how that will affect Brexit negotiations. Plus, a report
:00:53. > :00:56.from Australia on the Australian enthusiasm to cut a new trade deal
:00:57. > :01:04.once Brexit is done. We will look at whether we will see more Australian
:01:05. > :01:08.goods in our shops. And we are getting lots and lots of questions.
:01:09. > :01:09.Keep them coming. You will see that on the screen throughout the
:01:10. > :01:31.programme. I am talking to you from where
:01:32. > :01:37.hundreds and hundreds of journalists across the European Union and the
:01:38. > :01:42.world gather on days like this, the first day of the major EU summit. We
:01:43. > :01:47.are able to mingle around the building as the leaders go about
:01:48. > :01:51.their business, sometimes leaders or their assistance. And give you a
:01:52. > :01:57.briefing, but one of the main time to get to speak directly to the
:01:58. > :02:03.leaders is when they arrive. So we recorded this in order to explain
:02:04. > :02:08.how it works. Theresa May has already arrived at this summit but
:02:09. > :02:11.other leaders from across the EU are still coming in in black cast. This
:02:12. > :02:18.is where they are greeted by the press. Got to be quite careful
:02:19. > :02:24.because there is an awful lot of television equipment, wires
:02:25. > :02:30.everywhere, journalists everywhere. Some people waiting for the leaders
:02:31. > :02:35.here. But if you come out here, there is an even bigger group of
:02:36. > :02:38.journalists waiting to shout out their questions, and you can see the
:02:39. > :02:44.clusters of journalists around the different leaders who are arriving.
:02:45. > :02:48.As you can see, Angela Merkel is now taking her turn to answer questions
:02:49. > :02:53.from the huge press front that is gathered. If there is only one
:02:54. > :02:57.person who would decide how the EU response to Brexit on trade and
:02:58. > :03:02.foreign policy challenges, it will be the German Chancellor. There she
:03:03. > :03:07.goes, walking into the EU Council building. There will be a dinner
:03:08. > :03:12.later on where Theresa May will bring her and the other EU leaders
:03:13. > :03:16.about Brexit. Let me play you a little of what Angela Merkel said to
:03:17. > :03:25.the German press on the subject of Brexit. This will be the first time
:03:26. > :03:29.that we will officially welcomed the British Prime Minister, Theresa May,
:03:30. > :03:32.to a European Council meeting. We will have Brexit on the agenda and
:03:33. > :03:36.we will make it clear once again that we are waiting for the
:03:37. > :03:40.application of article 50 by Britain. It is now down to Britain
:03:41. > :03:46.to say how they want to make this application. Let us look at some of
:03:47. > :03:52.the question you are sending me. Jones says, are the possibilities of
:03:53. > :03:55.the UK becoming an EQ associate? Everything is possible but
:03:56. > :03:59.everything the UK Government has been saying suggests that once a
:04:00. > :04:03.bespoke deal, it will not copy one country or another, it will get a
:04:04. > :04:09.deal which the Prime Minister would say is in Britain's best interests.
:04:10. > :04:16.While one relationship may provide inspiration, this will be specific
:04:17. > :04:19.to the UK. Richard says, how come since we announced the referendum,
:04:20. > :04:24.we have not heard much about the problems in Greece or the problems
:04:25. > :04:28.in the Eurozone? Two summers ago, the Greeks did cut a deal with their
:04:29. > :04:33.creditors and that triggered a feather bailout which gave the Greek
:04:34. > :04:38.economy some stability but earlier this month, the EU commission said
:04:39. > :04:41.it wanted Eurozone governments to agree fresh details on debt relief
:04:42. > :04:46.for Greece by the end of the year. That issue has not gone away. I can
:04:47. > :04:50.see lots more of your questions coming in and I will come back to
:04:51. > :04:54.those in a couple of minutes. Next I want to talk about trade. After
:04:55. > :05:01.Brexit, the UK will look to cut deals with the EU and lots of
:05:02. > :05:05.individual countries, and Australia has already signalled it is very
:05:06. > :05:18.keen to do that. That could mean many more Australian products coming
:05:19. > :05:21.to the UK. Raised on the green grass of New South Wales, could Brexit
:05:22. > :05:30.mean these cattle one day find a way into the British market? Australia
:05:31. > :05:35.sold 80% of its beef to the UK once. That all changed when Britain joined
:05:36. > :05:39.the EU. Brexit brings a welcome opportunity. There will be a great
:05:40. > :05:46.boon for Australia because it brings up a lot of competition. We know in
:05:47. > :05:53.Australia, the quality is very good. Some Australian products are already
:05:54. > :05:57.big in Britain, wine and beer. Brexit could bring even more
:05:58. > :06:03.opportunities but so far, it has been a bit of a headache. This
:06:04. > :06:10.winery usually sells 100,000 bottles a year to the UK but the price
:06:11. > :06:13.depends on the exchange rate. After the referendum, the pound slumped,
:06:14. > :06:21.the Australian dollar rose. Now trade is harder. The currency has
:06:22. > :06:26.gone down by 20%. So our winds will get more expensive now. As they
:06:27. > :06:33.start having to pay for them at the new rate. What dwarfs the trading
:06:34. > :06:38.goods is financial investment. The UK and Australia will already have a
:06:39. > :06:42.very big stake in each of the's economies as Britain chews over
:06:43. > :06:45.exactly what the terms of Brexit will be, there are plenty of
:06:46. > :06:56.Australians hoping it is a path that brings new business their way. There
:06:57. > :07:01.is one factor to do with the Brexit negotiations, that it is impossible
:07:02. > :07:05.to overstate. It is to do with a number of significant votes coming
:07:06. > :07:11.up in the next 12 months within the EU. Let me run you through them. In
:07:12. > :07:14.December, Italy is holding a referendum on constitutional changes
:07:15. > :07:20.and its Prime Minister has already suggested you may stand down if that
:07:21. > :07:25.vote goes against him. The polling is very tight so he may yet win but
:07:26. > :07:28.there is a possibility of a No vote and a possibility he will be
:07:29. > :07:33.replaced by an interim government. He is one of the most vocal leaders
:07:34. > :07:36.within the EU. Fast forward to March, you have a general election
:07:37. > :07:42.and the Netherlands. The government there under major pressure from the
:07:43. > :07:47.Freedom party, which has an anti-immigration stance. It is not
:07:48. > :07:53.hard to imagine a scenario in which the government has the change in the
:07:54. > :07:57.Netherlands. In April and May, the French elections. Francois Hollande
:07:58. > :08:01.is incredibly unpopular if you read the polls. He has got to represent
:08:02. > :08:04.the Socialist party let alone winning it said there is a
:08:05. > :08:10.possibility the French President may change. And then you go on to
:08:11. > :08:14.August, September and October and the most important of the more, the
:08:15. > :08:19.German elections. Angela Merkel is yet to say whether she will stand
:08:20. > :08:24.even if she does, she would be favourite to win but she is also
:08:25. > :08:29.under pressure from the issue of immigration. The alternative for
:08:30. > :08:37.Germany party has made electoral progress. Let's talk with Heidi,
:08:38. > :08:42.journalist, and Peter, also a journalist. Talk to me about the
:08:43. > :08:46.German election. I presume Angela Merkel will stand. She is under
:08:47. > :08:48.pressure like she has never been before. She is much more under
:08:49. > :08:54.pressure compared to the last elections where she just sailed in
:08:55. > :08:58.and won by a huge margin. This will not be the case this time. It will
:08:59. > :09:05.be a tough campaign and will be totally unclear as to who she will
:09:06. > :09:10.govern all through her coalition partner may be. This also has an
:09:11. > :09:15.impact on European politics. Brexit will be complicated enough that if
:09:16. > :09:19.we have major leaders and players changing during negotiations, it
:09:20. > :09:25.becomes more complicated. I would say yes to that, that is a very
:09:26. > :09:31.clear statement. I think the UK will see this is much more difficult than
:09:32. > :09:34.has been anticipated, it will drag on for years, and there will be
:09:35. > :09:41.changes in government repeatedly over the years. The interest might
:09:42. > :09:48.change. Has Brexit been an inspiration to some politicians and
:09:49. > :09:53.political parties? The Danish People's' party would like to have a
:09:54. > :09:59.referendum but the word base that on whatever the UK gets, so that means
:10:00. > :10:09.the rest of the Danish parties would be very careful. An alternative for
:10:10. > :10:17.Germany, they are not a serious challenge. If they are in
:10:18. > :10:20.Parliament, and it will be as looks, everything will be more complicated,
:10:21. > :10:24.more muddling through, more difficult to form a government. They
:10:25. > :10:29.will not be part of a government so will have nothing to say in the way
:10:30. > :10:33.of how politics regarding Brexit is conducted but they would still make
:10:34. > :10:37.the process more difficult. Alex wants to ask, is there possibility
:10:38. > :10:44.another country could hold a referendum on leaving the soon? I
:10:45. > :10:54.would say no. Most other countries are not big enough to go it alone
:10:55. > :11:00.like the UK. If the French party was to win, they have promised to do
:11:01. > :11:03.that. Someone wants to ask, are people in your country supportive of
:11:04. > :11:09.the strong position that you cannot have the single market without the
:11:10. > :11:14.freedom of movement? Actually, yes. It is a fairness rule. If you want
:11:15. > :11:19.to be part of the club, you have to apply all the rules, and if you are
:11:20. > :11:27.out, you are out. This is no cherry picking. People are in favour of
:11:28. > :11:32.that. Some people who like changes, what access you have the different
:11:33. > :11:37.benefits, but the free movement, everybody likes that. Peter, you
:11:38. > :11:44.have got to go, so very good of you to stay with us, so Heidi, you will
:11:45. > :11:48.stay with us. We will also be joined with a Polish journalist so keep
:11:49. > :12:01.those questions coming. When there are developments here, you will hear
:12:02. > :12:06.a live on the BBC. In the UK, MPs have backed a proposal to strip the
:12:07. > :12:11.former owner of VHS, Philip Green, of his knighthood. Their decision is
:12:12. > :12:14.non-binding. He is accused in Parliament of asset stripping and
:12:15. > :12:20.failing to do with a company's pensions deficit. Sir Philip insists
:12:21. > :12:25.he's working on a deal that will resolve the issue. This night of the
:12:26. > :12:38.realm has been described by many as an emperor. And today, they get to
:12:39. > :12:44.bury him. I see... A spiv who should never have received a knighthood,
:12:45. > :12:49.who has shaped British capitalism. BHS is one of the biggest corporate
:12:50. > :12:52.scandals of many times. The whole house of sympathy for the thousands
:12:53. > :12:58.of workers were blessed their jobs and see their benefits reduced as a
:12:59. > :13:02.result of greed, incompetence. Strip of his knighthood, taking to task
:13:03. > :13:08.and get him to sell a few of his super yachts. This was not much a
:13:09. > :13:15.debate on some MPs were uneasy. The call for another committee to strip
:13:16. > :13:21.somebody of the non-, the one is only taken away if someone has
:13:22. > :13:27.committed a criminal offence, is the abuse of the House of Commons. But
:13:28. > :13:32.let's not forget about people losing their jobs. He should be stripped of
:13:33. > :13:36.his knighthood, 100%. He does not realise what he has done to
:13:37. > :13:40.everybody. And he is swanning around with the knighthood, it is not fair
:13:41. > :13:45.for what everybody else is going through. This does not mean he will
:13:46. > :13:50.lose his knighthood. Any decision on that will be made here in Whitehall.
:13:51. > :13:55.It is also very rare for people not found guilty of doing anything
:13:56. > :13:59.illegal to lose honours. Fred Goodwin of RBS was the last and most
:14:00. > :14:02.possible famous example but Philip Green has become the new poster to
:14:03. > :14:08.both the popular and political mistrust and business. During her
:14:09. > :14:14.party conference, Theresa May made a thinly disguised attack on him. A
:14:15. > :14:21.director who takes up massive dividend is one knowing the company
:14:22. > :14:27.pension is about to go bust. I am putting you on warning, this cannot
:14:28. > :14:30.go on any more. Philip Green was watching the events in Parliament
:14:31. > :14:33.today. Whatever happens to his knighthood, his only redemption may
:14:34. > :14:52.be insulting the pension out. Since before the referendum on the
:14:53. > :14:57.UK's place in the EU, we have been travelling around the UK and Europe,
:14:58. > :15:02.covering the story. Our latest stop is in Brussels because the EU is
:15:03. > :15:07.holding its late summer hit an all 28 leaders from the European Union
:15:08. > :15:10.are having dinner. When we get details about what they have been
:15:11. > :15:16.saying to each other, we will bring that to you. Coming up, if you're
:15:17. > :15:26.watching outside the UK, we will bring you American news. And in the
:15:27. > :15:31.UK, it is the news at ten next stop there is a report on the British
:15:32. > :15:36.government's part in thousands of gay and bisexual men who are
:15:37. > :15:43.convicted under sexual offences under now abolished laws. Russia is
:15:44. > :15:46.one of the main issues on the agenda here at the European Union and the
:15:47. > :15:51.relationship between the EU and Russia has been tense for a while
:15:52. > :15:55.now. We have the annexation of Crimea, the support of separatists
:15:56. > :15:59.in the east of Ukraine but significant though those events, the
:16:00. > :16:04.real focus at the is Aleppo and the Russian and Syrian government
:16:05. > :16:08.bombing Eastern Aleppo which is under the control of anti-government
:16:09. > :16:12.rebels. A number of the most senior players of the EU have been talking
:16:13. > :16:21.about what Russia is doing in Aleppo. Let me play some of those
:16:22. > :16:25.clips. Robust and united European stance in the face of Russian
:16:26. > :16:30.aggression. The UK has put Russian actions in Syria on the agenda for
:16:31. > :16:34.the summit. We must continue to work together and it is vital we work
:16:35. > :16:40.together to continue to put pressure on Russia to stop its appalling
:16:41. > :16:45.atrocities in Syria. It would be important to send a signal to Russia
:16:46. > :16:48.that what they do by killing civilians in Syria is unacceptable
:16:49. > :16:54.to the international community. The problem is there is no agreement to
:16:55. > :17:02.send such a signal. It would mean sanctions. We will put pressure on
:17:03. > :17:08.that amid Putin to do his duty, to make the truce, stop the bombing and
:17:09. > :17:16.to stop supporting the Syrian government. Today is not about
:17:17. > :17:22.decisions but I want to underline that the EU should keep all options
:17:23. > :17:29.open, including sanctions. If the crimes continue. There would be some
:17:30. > :17:33.people who would argue however hard the EU tries, it is failing to
:17:34. > :17:38.influence what Russia does. Let's talked to a couple of guest said. We
:17:39. > :17:47.still have Heidi here and we are joined by Thomas from Poland. Do you
:17:48. > :17:52.get frustrated by the inability of the EU to stop Russia? I come from
:17:53. > :18:00.Poland with the frustration is very deep-rooted. At least we have some
:18:01. > :18:05.leaders calling for stronger engagement of Russia in Syria and
:18:06. > :18:13.hoping it will help. At least you now have the knowledge and
:18:14. > :18:19.conviction of most of the leaders here that Russia and Syria have bad
:18:20. > :18:27.intentions. Most people understand is the one of the reasons we have
:18:28. > :18:32.these problems are because we do not use power like Russia. And the
:18:33. > :18:39.reason is because we want to engage diplomatically but there is only so
:18:40. > :18:42.much you can do. We will carry on talking about immigration in a
:18:43. > :18:46.moment because that is the issue that has been talked this Thursday
:18:47. > :18:50.afternoon in Brussels among EU leaders and the migrant crisis has
:18:51. > :18:55.been a huge issue for the EU for a couple of years now. The Italians in
:18:56. > :19:00.particular are upset about the EU response. Let me try and explain
:19:01. > :19:06.why. Over 300,000 people have come into the EU just this year and that
:19:07. > :19:13.number goes up every day. If we break that down a little, we can say
:19:14. > :19:18.half of those people go to Italy and half go to Greece. The reason the
:19:19. > :19:23.Italians are upset if it is they feel the whole EU is not sharing the
:19:24. > :19:28.load of processing those people and when necessary looking after them as
:19:29. > :19:33.well. Look at this quote from the Italian Prime Minister. This was a
:19:34. > :19:37.BBC interview recently in which he said, enough, we've been focusing on
:19:38. > :19:43.Brexit for more than two years now. It holds up key EU business. Let's
:19:44. > :19:46.get Brexit over and move on. The point he is making there is he is
:19:47. > :19:54.concerned the need or desire to put on a unified front during the Brexit
:19:55. > :19:58.negotiations is undermining the ability to push through tough
:19:59. > :20:03.decisions on immigration. Let's see if Thomas and Heidi agree. It's
:20:04. > :20:09.Brexit stopping the EU taking tough decisions? There has been a tendency
:20:10. > :20:16.to wait before taking decisions. We are in a waiting position. But when
:20:17. > :20:20.we get into Brexit again, everyone will be afraid to take decisions
:20:21. > :20:26.that might open up something the Brits want. Brexit negotiations are
:20:27. > :20:32.not the main reasons for the EU, not to take tough and strong decisions
:20:33. > :20:38.on immigration. The main problem is many leaders in countries are
:20:39. > :20:45.convinced that the crisis is over because of the way, Turkey to Greece
:20:46. > :20:50.and Germany is closed, and the pace of immigration to Italy is the same
:20:51. > :20:56.as one year in two years ago. So business as usual. I would agree on
:20:57. > :21:01.the fact that migration, it is not Brexit that is stopping us taking
:21:02. > :21:05.decisions, it is just because it is difficult. It is a poisonous
:21:06. > :21:10.subject. Some would say countries like yours are stopping a solution.
:21:11. > :21:14.They are saying, we will not take these people in. Why will they not
:21:15. > :21:26.share the responsibility of what is happening? I will not defend the
:21:27. > :21:37.Polish government. The reasons are popular stick and xenophobic. These
:21:38. > :21:40.countries started to spread their opposition loudly a year ago. In
:21:41. > :21:46.fact you have many other countries, including France and the
:21:47. > :21:51.Netherlands, which were very moderate in their language here in
:21:52. > :21:56.Brussels, but they were not accepting refugees as well. We are
:21:57. > :21:59.out of time. After the dinner is finished, are you hoping your
:22:00. > :22:08.leaders will come out and speak to you? I am sure they will. I am going
:22:09. > :22:13.to stay here. Both of you, thank you very much indeed. We are expecting
:22:14. > :22:16.significant briefing from EU leaders once they finish their dinner and
:22:17. > :22:21.come out. No one is sure the timing of that but whenever it happens, you
:22:22. > :22:27.will get coverage on the BBC. Lots of you are asking this question,
:22:28. > :22:30.Nigel says, why does everyone want the Prime Minister to disclose our
:22:31. > :22:36.negotiating stance? That would put us at a huge disadvantage. There are
:22:37. > :22:40.some, and the government as part of this group, who says we cannot do
:22:41. > :22:44.everything in the public domain because these are negotiations and
:22:45. > :22:48.there are others, particularly some MPs, who say it is not appropriate
:22:49. > :22:53.for the country in Parliament to have no idea what approach is going
:22:54. > :22:55.to be taken. We shall have to see how Theresa May chooses to play