15/08/2017 BBC News at One

The Brexit Secretary, David Davis, says he wants to negotiate

a temporary customs union with the EU for after

But the EU Commission says it will only address the issue once

progress had been made on the terms of the withdrawal.

We will have reaction to the proposals from Westminster and

Brussels. Rail fares will go up

by 3.6% in January - Passenger groups say

commuters will be worst-hit. My pay has nowhere kept up

with inflation, so more of my salary has just been paying for me just

to come to work. The Grenfell Tower public inquiry

will examine issues including the cause of the fire

and the actions of Kensington Mudslides and floods in Sierra Leone

have killed more than 300 people. Thousands more have been forced

to flee from their homes. And I'm in Amritsa where the people

of India are remembering And coming up in the

sport on BBC News... Premier League clubs will vote

on closing the summer transfer window before the start

of the season. It currently runs

until the end of August. Good afternoon and welcome

to the BBC News at One. The Government has confirmed it

wants to negotiate a temporary customs relationship

with the European Union to be in The Secretary of State for Exiting

the EU, David Davis, says the deal would prevent trade

disruption until a permanent The EU Commission says it

will study the proposals but will only address post-Brexit

relations once sufficient progress had been made

on the terms of the withdrawal. While the European Parliament Brexit

negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, has tweeted his thoughts

on the matter. "To be in and out of the customs

union and invisible This report from our political

correspondent, Laila Nathoo. And a warning - her report

contains flash photography. Keeping goods flowing

freely between Britain and the EU after Brexit -

one of the key issues Now, the Government has given more

detail about how it sees trade At the moment, while in the EU,

we are inside what is called the customs union -

that means goods imported to the same tax or tariff and can

then move between EU countries Ministers say Brexit means leaving

the customs union but are now proposing that temporarily,

for a few years, we stick as close as possible

to the current arrangements. In Italy, I was 290 billion,

we are selling them BMW do not want to have a customs

border that is going to slow down their sales

or add administrative costs. And the port of Rotterdam is going

to want to have an efficient operation, so they have got

an interest as well as us. The interim plans are designed

to reassure businesses, nervous about sudden changes

in rules and extra costs. At the moment, we leave

the EU in March, 2019. I think the paper gives a certain

degree of clarity to businesses that at least the Government

is prioritising the transitional deal and they are trying to tie off

any potential for customs disruptions by continuing the

customs union on an interim basis. Striking trade deals with countries

around the world as soon as Brexit happens and the transitional period

begins is a priority for the Government -

something we can't currently do as members

of the EU's customs union. But ministers accept that those

deals could not coming to affect until the temporary

customs arrangement ends. I wanted Brexit to allow us

to go global in terms of our trade deals and the decision

from the Government today is effectively kicking this

into the long grass, saying we can't do that

for years to come. What will happen, we will find

countries around the world like America and Australia will

simply stop taking us seriously. In the longer term,

the Government has set out two possible options

for a future relationship. First, what is described as a highly

streamlined customs arrangement where there is minimal red tape

and technology smoothing the way. Or a new bespoke customs

partnership where there would be no customs border

at all between the EU and the UK. The key is not the structures,

it is the outcome, which is retaining the best possible

arrangements of tariff free access and avoiding

avoiding delays at borders. That is what we think

we need to fight for. Not whether we are in reality

in the customs union or not. These are, for now,

just the UK's proposals, they will have to be

negotiated with Brussels, and the EU says it won't address

a possible transition period or what happens after that

until divorce talks have Discussions start again

at the end of the month. Leila Nathoo joins us

now from Westminster. Give us a sense of the varying

political reactions to what David Davis has been saying. I think this

was an attempt from the Government to show clarity of purpose, an

attempt to say, these are practical things we can achieve after Brexit,

an attempt, really, to say, we are united on a position after many

weeks of very public divisions within the Cabinet over the issue of

any transitional arrangement, what the transitional arrangement might

look like. Here we have ministers settling on a position and saying

that it is a compromise within the Cabinet, saying there will be at an

interim customs arrangement, outside the customs union, albeit for a

limited period of time. I think this is really designed to say the

Brussels, to counter any suggestions the Government is somehow unprepared

or has been complacent going into the talks, but there is still much

to be agreed on, for example, the details of the future arrangements

set out. In terms Brussels, the Government is trying to get ahead of

the game, the thinking about the longer

term, rather than what Brussels wants which is to settle divorce

matters, issues of the Brexit Bill, the Irish border, for example,

before considering longer term arrangements. We will have to wait

to the end of the month to see how this approach goes down.

Our correspondent, Adam Fleming, is in Brussels for us.

We are getting a little sense of the response where you are. Tell us

more. The European Commission has welcomed the concept of the UK

publishing more papers about its position on various issues to do

with Brexit because diplomats in the city have been crying out for more

detail on two things. The UK's position on the withdrawal issues

Laila Nathoo was mentioning, like data protection, the Irish border,

cases at the European Court of Justice. Those papers are coming too

along with the paper today which is more discursive stuff about the

future relationship with the EU after Brexit. They are glad these

papers are coming from the UK. However, Michel

Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, the man doing the Brexit talks from

the EU's side, says, before you can talk about the future relationship,

trade, customs, the UK has to make sufficient process on the issues the

EU has identified as priorities. Those are complicated things like

the rights of EU citizens living in the UK after Brexit and UK citizens

living elsewhere in Europe, what do you do about the Irish border? And

also, the financial settlement, the so-called Brexit bill. Michel

Barnier is clear you cannot talk about the future until sufficient

progress has been made on those issues. In terms of the broader

thing about whether the Government's commands today for the interim

customs period and what happens after, the EU say, the only way you

can get frictionless trade like that is if you stay in the customs union

and you stay in the single market, basically staying in the EU. Geva

hash tag, the chief negotiator, he said the Government's demands are a

fantasy -- Guy Verhofstadt. Chris Morris from our Reality Check

team looks now in more detail at the options the Government

is presenting to Brussels. This is the start of another very

busy Brexit period. This UK proposal starts with the idea of a new

temporary customs union after Brexit that looks as much like the current

customs union as possible. That would reassure business in the UK

and elsewhere in Europe. It also needs to be agreed by the rest of

the EU which may be thinking, if it is not broken, do not fix it. One of

the tricky issues is during the transition period which could last

two, three years, the UK wanted to be able to negotiate its own trade

deals around the world and there is no sign so far the rest of the EU

will agree. Then there are the UK's longer term proposals for what would

follow the temporary fix. One suggestion is what they are calling

a highly streamlined customs arrangement, using technology to cut

paperwork as much as possible. And to allow fewer vehicle checks. It

would take years to get ready for such a new scheme so work to prepare

for it would need to start pretty much straightaway. Not just at

British ports but in places like France, the Netherlands, Belgium and

of course Ireland as well. The alternative UK suggestion is for the

new customs partnership between the UK and the EU that would dispense

with any customs border altogether. Outside a customs union, that does

not exist anywhere in the world. Again, it raises many questions.

Would the UK have to collect customs duties for the EU? And vice versa.

This is an opening salvo and there will be a full white paper on

customs in the autumn. This feels like a paper written to take account

of British political sensitivities, rather than anyone else's. The UK

would argue they have to get on with the discussion of future

arrangements as soon as possible. The EU, on the other hand, still

says the outlines of that divorce deal have to come first.

Thanks very much, Chris Morris. Millions of people will see

their rail fares go up by 3.6% in January

because of a rise in Regulated fares are pegged

to the retail prices index, It's the biggest rise since 2013

and unions have called it a kick From Glasgow to Cardiff,

to Leeds to London, But price increases these days

are pegged to inflation, so in the New Year, season tickets

and other fares will increase The price of something you have

to pay in order to get to work, I don't think I'm going to get value

for money, basically. I have been working in the public

sector all my life and my pay rise has nowhere kept up with inflation,

so more of my salary is just paying Stagnant wages is why some say

the current system is unfair. Around half of all rail fares

are capped by the Government at July's retail price index

which is a measure of inflation. The problem for many

passengers is that inflation, the rate at which goods are becoming

more expensive, is currently higher than the rate rise

in most people's wages. Unions say passengers

are paying more while services It is quite clear in our privatised

rail network that passengers are paying more for less

and we are seeing cuts in infrastructure projects,

electrification projects in the north of England and in

South Wales, we are seeing cuts There is a big job going

on at Waterloo at the moment. A lot of those workers

there will not have a job They are cutting back. The

organisation representing the companies operating the trains say

higher price rises affect them too. Railway company costs are going up

in line with inflation as well so they have to cover costs to provide

the services we want as passengers. In order to be able to do that,

fares have to go up in line with it. The Government says nearly all of

the money we pay for a ticket is invested back into the railways but

the simple reality next year, travelling to work will be an even

bigger slice of most people's wages. Tom Burridge, BBC News.

The actions of Kensington and Chelsea Council

are to be considered in the Grenfell Tower fire inquiry.

The Government says the inquiry will also examine the cause of the fire

But some of the broader social questions provoked

Our correspondent, Frankie McCamley, is by Grenfell Tower in West London.

How much more do we know about what the inquiry team will be

considering? The scope of the inquiry is much broader than Sir

Martin Moore-Bick, the retired judge, leading this originally

suggested. He said it may look into the cause of the fire, what lessons

can be learnt to protect others and why it spread so quickly. But after

extending the consultation period for a number of weeks, and analysing

500 or more written statements, he has now broadened the terms of

reference to not only look at the cause and spread of the fire but

also the design, the construction, the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower,

to look at tower blocks on the whole across the UK and the regulations

surrounding them, whether the regulations were followed when it

comes to Grenfell Tower, and of course, that action of bodies and

groups in the lead up to the fire and after the tragedy, which will

include Kensington and Chelsea council. Resident group so far have

welcomed the broader terms of reference but there have been

questions raised and criticism as to why these wider social housing

reforms and questions are not going to be looked at. The Prime Minister

has addressed it and said these will be directed to the Housing Minister

and he is going to be speaking with a number of housing tenants to get

to the bottom of those questions. As for what happens next, there will be

a hearing in September and we will get initial reports in Easter next

year as to how and why the fire spread so quickly. Thank you.

More than 300 people are known to have died in the mudslides

and heavy flooding which struck Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown,

yesterday, according to the Red Cross which has

Whole homes were submerged and more than 2,000 people

The natural disaster is being described as one

The mountainside collapsed in an avalanche of mud,

It was sudden, total devastation, leaving few survivors.

Those who did escape look on at the place

where they used to live, desperate for good news.

This man lost eight members of his family.

TRANSLATION: I first saw the body of my sister and called

on people to help me and we laid her on the floor.

Then I started hearing other people nearby, crying.

The deluge of muddy water surged through gullies and streets,

claiming more lives and hampering rescue operations at

Sierra Leone is used to some flooding in the rainy season,

It has left a tangled mass of destruction and a slow

Houses were built illegally on this fragile mountainside and no one

really knows how many bodies will be recovered.

As they are found, the crowd surge in to see

if they recognise a family member or friend.

The authorities are trying to keep people away.

And to avoid disaster prone areas while we continue to address

These people had little enough before this disaster.

At least 3,000 are now thought to be homeless.

Freshwater sources have been contaminated and

Aid agencies are trying to prevent this disaster

Our main concern now is homelessness in terms of livelihood of families

now that are left with absolutely nothing and the children now

This has been a grim rainy season for Sierra Leone

The Brexit Secretary, David Davis, says he wants to negotiate

a temporary customs union with the EU.

Coming up, the British explorer hoping to reach the North Pole bar

yacht. -- by. Coming up in sport, Liverpool

are hoping to seal their place in the Champions League group stage

for the first time in three years. They're away at Hoffeinheim

in their first leg play off tonight. India's Prime Minister,

Narendra Modi, has led his nation in marking the 70th anniversary

of his country's The creation of India and Pakistan

in 1947 led to a million deaths, and the displacement

of about 12 million people. Reeta Chakrabarti is

in Amritsar in Punjab. I'm in this golden temple which is

one of the holiest. It is in Punjab on the areas worst affected by the

British and when the states of India and Pakistan were created 70 years

ago. Yesterday I reported from Pakistan as it celebrated the

anniversary of its independence and today is the turn of India and the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led a special ceremony in Delhi.

70 years ago it was here, at the historic Red Fort,

that Union Jack was lowered one final time, to be replaced

This is where Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived today

It is a tradition that has been repeated by every

A testimony to how India has endured as a functioning democracy over

In an address, the Prime Minister spoke of the problems India faces,

TRANSLATION: In my mind it is clear that neither bullets nor brickbats

It will only be solved by love and embracing all Kashmiris.

The Muslim majority Himalayan region of Kashmir has been at the centre

of a dispute with Pakistan since the partition

In recent months, anti-India protests have intensified there.

But across India today this was the scene, many people coming

out onto the streets to mark the occasion, there's a feeling

of pride here, and how much the country has achieved.

A growing economic power that has now been taken seriously,

Despite the many problems India faces, the overwhelming

sentiment here today is one of celebration and optimism.

This is a very young country, nearly two thirds of India

is under the age of 30, and for them it is not

so much about the past, but about what lies ahead.

Here in Amritsar, many people are still feeling

I've been speaking to one family about their experiences,

and what they feel about India today.

I almost refused the invitation, do you know that?

Remembering happy times, but this family did live through trauma.

Doctor Singh and his wife fled Pakistan as children

but the events of that time have gone largely undiscussed.

My generation, unfortunately, has not talked much to the younger

generation, our children, our grandchildren

It's high time that history did come out with it.

We made the mistake but history shouldn't.

Mrs Singh feels that modern-day India might not be quite

what the country's founding fathers had hoped for.

It's a democratic country and so far it has been...

It was a secular country, still it is.

But then some elements always come and sometimes you feel that things

But for their grandson, India has an exciting future.

In the coming decade, India is going to be the place to be

because so much innovation and technology coming up,

but at the same time I feel culturally it is a bit of a decline.

Pakistani TV programmes which he used to enjoy

His cousin wants to know more about Partition to understand why

the two countries remain such suspicious neighbours.

I have never felt the tension between an Indian and a Pakistani.

I've met Pakistanis when I have travelled in the US and London

and otherwise, and we have got along perfectly well.

But those meetings happen abroad and he has never been to Pakistan,

The effects of partition are still strongly felt today,

even for young people for whom it is just history.

It is very difficult for Indians to go to Pakistan, there are very few

transport links and very few people go in either direction. There's the

undercurrent of hostility between the nations, their people might feel

friendship but the two states, 70 years after partition, feel as far

apart as ever. STUDIO: Thanks for joining us.

North Korea's state media says the country's leader, Kim Jong Un,

has been briefed by the military on how they could fulfil his

threat to fire missiles towards the American island of Guam

in the Pacific - and says he will now watch US actions

Our correspondent Robin Brant sent us this report from Seoul.

The plan to attack America, laid out before him.

These pictures from North Korean state media show Kim Jong-un

You can clearly see a black line from his country straight to Guam,

the American territory that North Korea's generals have

A report said the respected supreme leader wants

to "watch a little more, the foolish and stupid

On Guam itself, there is relief for now.

I think a lot of it has to do with the strong statements made

by our president but also by the collective statements made

by Secretary Tillerson and Secretary Mattis.

But on the front line, in the decades-old stand-off

with North Korea, something he's not helping.

This truck has the words, no war, no Trump, on the side.

Now, America is South Korea's most important protector but some

of the people here think that the current president

is actually causing more problems than he is helping to solve.

Angry! Yeah.

Trump's action and policy is not good to many Americans.

I don't think actual war would break out, this man said.

The country's newly elected president has promised

TRANSLATION: Military action on the Korean Peninsular can only be

decided by the Republic of Korea, and no one may decide to take

military action without the consent of the Republic of Korea.

This is an annual event by people who have never liked

But there are plenty who like the beat of America's drum

and want their closest ally to stay very close, even as there

are signs that the tension is slightly easing off.

Baby boxes containing essential items such as clothes, books

and blankets are being delivered to new mothers across Scotland

The cardboard boxes also include a mattress, and can be

used for babies to sleep in as an alternative to a cot.

Our Scotland correspondent Lorna Gordon reports.

A first look at a Scottish baby box for these mums and mums to be.

From today, all expectant mothers in Scotland will

It doubles as a crib and contains dozens of items which could help

parents in their child's first few months of life.

As first-time parents we are a bit like, what do we need,

It's good to know that they have covered everything that we're

I really like the idea of it being a safe sleeping space,

probably more for use during the day rather than at night-time,

but I think I would it as a living space, for putting down for naps

Having a baby can be an expensive time for parents so most mums

and dads say that anything that helps ease their costs is welcome

but at ?160 per box, is this money well spent

Essentially what we want to do is make sure that all children

in Scotland have the very best start in life and we believe that a baby

box with essential items will be of benefit to parents

and their children is about that, giving children the very best

start in life regardless of the circumstances

Support groups say there is as yet no evidence that baby boxes

will directly reduce the rate of infant mortality.

But welcome any initiatives which encourage parents

to think about safe sleeping for their babies.

We understand that boxes themselves can't have an impact on

infant mortality, and for us, what we are really

looking forward to is the evaluation

of this whole initiative to see whether families have a

greater awareness of safe sleeping messages for their babies.

Tens of thousands of parents will receive

The Scottish Government says it will assess

whether the initiative helps reduce the number of cot deaths.

An expedition to the north pole - by yacht - has just

The team - led by British polar explorer Pen Hadow -

says that the melting of sea ice in the region is making the voyage

Our science correspondent Rebecca Morelle has more

Setting off into uncharted Arctic waters.

A pair of yachts attempting a first - sailing all

A crew of ten - and a dog - have just departed from Alaska.

Led by British explorer Pen Hadow, they have a 3500 mile voyage ahead.

For the first time in human history, possibly for the first

time in 130,000 years, it is now possible to sail

What this means is that the wildlife living in the area

It is the rapidly warming conditions in the Arctic that have made this

It is melting at an unprecedented rate.

In 35 years, more than a third of the area of sea ice has gone.

Once inaccessible waters are opening up.

At Reading University, scientists are studying how

this could change these commercial shipping routes.

Instead of having to sail around the frozen Pole,

At the moment we are seeing a few experimental voyages

In the future, as the ice continues to melt, the possibility of having

more commercial ships travelling through the region

An ice-strengthened ship will be able to go right over the Pole

Pen Hadow has already experienced the dramatic changes

His last trip north in 2009 was on foot, but he spent much

This time, he has six weeks of sailing ahead.

The team do not know how far north they will get,

but this expedition into the unknown may be the start of a new era

It has been a pretty cold start to August, you don't need me to tell

you that, but the coldest start to August in south-east England for 30

years and also pretty wet, but as we continue through the afternoon we

have an improving picture, and most people will have lengthy spells of

sunshine, but there are a few showers. Mainly across the northern

half of the UK where we have the chance of showers as we go through

the afternoon, otherwise warm spells of sunshine. Showers in Scotland

will turn heavy, the risk of thunderstorms, and a line of showers

moving across Northern Ireland and a high chance of catching one of

those, not many showers for Northern England and Wales, and the rest of

the South of England, by and large it will stay dry, temperatures

pushing into the mid-20s and feeling warm, and there is a fair breeze in

the South West and Wales, but still present. Overnight, we have an area

of high pressure moving in, and things will turn quite cold and it

could fall to as low as 5 degrees in the countryside, so there will be a

chill in the morning. The weather chart for Wednesday, high pressure

in the east, but the high-pressure moves in with strengthening winds,

the band of rain moves in and it should be largely dry at least for

Scotland, England and Wales, the best of the sunshine in eastern

areas, and it will be late in the day before we have the east Wales

and the of England. As we go through the night the band of rain will push

East, turning heavy and it could be quite slow to clear eastern

counties, taking the time to move out of the way Thursday morning, but

as we go into the afternoon, the mixture of sunny spells and a few

showers. Looking at the weather charts for the end of the week and

the weekend, there is a big area of low pressure, gradually the centre

moves towards the North Sea and we will have a brisk north-westerly

wind and that will bring showers, some of them merging together to

give lengthy spells of rain across north-western areas especially

Friday, some heavy with hail and fund an but generally fewer showers

in the south of the country and temperatures should reach the low

20s again. It will stay and settled for the foreseeable, the band of

rain coming in for tomorrow. A reminder of our main

story this lunchtime. The Brexit Secretary, David Davis,

says he wants to negotiate a temporary customs

union with the EU - It's goodbye from me -

and on BBC One we now join the BBC's