:00:00. > :00:09.Tonight at Six, history in the making - Theresa May calls
:00:10. > :00:12.time on Britain's four decades inside the European Union.
:00:13. > :00:16.Hand delivered - the official letter to the EU that puts last June's
:00:17. > :00:22.Theresa May told MPs there's no going back,
:00:23. > :00:25.it's a turning point in the UK's story.
:00:26. > :00:30.Britain is leaving the European Union.
:00:31. > :00:33.We are going to make our own decisions and our own laws.
:00:34. > :00:35.We are going to take control of the things
:00:36. > :00:45.The President of the EU Council says his priority is to defend
:00:46. > :00:52.Brexit has made us, the community of 27,
:00:53. > :00:58.more determined and more united than before.
:00:59. > :01:00.Theresa May says she'll negotiate as one UK -
:01:01. > :01:04.we'll be getting the reaction from around the country.
:01:05. > :01:07.And we're in Dover - where 60% of voters
:01:08. > :01:13.Also on tonight's programme, it's a week since the terror attack
:01:14. > :01:19.Thousands gathered in a show of unity, remembering
:01:20. > :01:32.We'll have more reaction and opinion to the historic events as the Prime
:01:33. > :01:36.Minister triggers Britain's exit from Europe. We'll hear from
:01:37. > :01:52.politicians and members of the public.
:01:53. > :01:57.Good evening and welcome to the BBC News at Six.
:01:58. > :01:59.A hand delivered, six page letter - with that Theresa May
:02:00. > :02:05.She's written to the President of the European Council,
:02:06. > :02:08.formally announcing Britain's intention to leave the EU -
:02:09. > :02:11.a process that will see the end of four decades of membership that
:02:12. > :02:14.have shaped so much in our daily lives.
:02:15. > :02:17.The Prime Minister said Britain would be able
:02:18. > :02:20.to make its own decisions but continue to have a deep and
:02:21. > :02:24.For the European Union, the President of the Council said
:02:25. > :02:27.this was not a happy day for either Brussels or London -
:02:28. > :02:31.but he added, his goal now was to defend the interests
:02:32. > :02:33.of the remaining 27 members of the EU.
:02:34. > :02:35.For our first report tonight, here's our political
:02:36. > :02:49.Some moments make us. This is one. The minute in Westminster, Belfast,
:02:50. > :02:54.Edinburgh and Cardiff that the United Kingdom formally changed
:02:55. > :02:58.course. The Article 50 process is now underway and in accordance with
:02:59. > :03:06.the wishes of the British people, the United Kingdom is leaving the
:03:07. > :03:12.European Union. This is an historic moment from which there can be no
:03:13. > :03:17.turning back. Probably our last ambassador to the European Union
:03:18. > :03:23.handing over the letter at 12:25pm. The document that says we are on our
:03:24. > :03:28.way out. Theresa May's signature on our departure. Her job now, to make
:03:29. > :03:33.it work. This, her hope. A country that goes out into the world to
:03:34. > :03:37.build relationships with old friends and new allies alike. And that is
:03:38. > :03:42.why I have set out a clear and ambitious plan for negotiations
:03:43. > :03:45.ahead. It is a plan for a new, deep and special partnership between
:03:46. > :03:50.Britain and the European Union. Her decisions about how mean we are out
:03:51. > :03:54.of the single market to control immigration. As European leaders
:03:55. > :03:58.have said many times, we cannot cherry pick and remained members of
:03:59. > :04:02.the single market without accepting the four freedoms that are
:04:03. > :04:07.indivisible. We respect that decision. A friendlier tone to the
:04:08. > :04:11.continent, an ambition to bring this country together. Mr Speaker, when I
:04:12. > :04:15.sit around the negotiating table in the months ahead I will represent
:04:16. > :04:25.every person in the United Kingdom, young and old, rich and poor, town
:04:26. > :04:28.and country and all the villages and hamlets in between. And yes, those
:04:29. > :04:30.EU nationals that have made this country their home. And it is my
:04:31. > :04:33.fierce determination to get the right deal for this country. In
:04:34. > :04:37.perhaps the most important that she'll ever penned, the Prime
:04:38. > :04:40.Minister spoke of her hope to give reassurance quickly to the millions
:04:41. > :04:44.of EU citizens who live here and Brits abroad. We should always put
:04:45. > :04:49.our citizens first, we should aim to strike an early agreement about
:04:50. > :04:53.their rights. But no guarantees. The Prime Minister wants a free trade
:04:54. > :04:57.deal with the EU of greater scope and ambition than any before. A bold
:04:58. > :05:02.hope seen as naive by some to try to protect firms who do business around
:05:03. > :05:07.the confident from rules and barriers. No overt threat to walk
:05:08. > :05:10.away but a serious warning. A failure to reach agreement would
:05:11. > :05:15.mean our co-operation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be
:05:16. > :05:20.weakened. We must work hard to avoid that outcome. Her message, the EU
:05:21. > :05:22.needs us. She want also to agree the terms of our future partnership
:05:23. > :05:27.alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU, to work out how we
:05:28. > :05:32.leave at the same time as sorting out the future. Labour aren't the
:05:33. > :05:36.only one sceptical she can deliver. If the Prime Minister can deliver a
:05:37. > :05:40.deal that meets our tests that will be fine, we will back her. More than
:05:41. > :05:45.ever Britain needs a government that will deliver for the whole country,
:05:46. > :05:49.not just the few. And that is the ultimate test of the Brexit deal
:05:50. > :05:54.that the Prime Minister must now secure. The clock is ticking now.
:05:55. > :06:00.Memories of today will be so different. A public party for some.
:06:01. > :06:09.Even though that's not actually the Foreign Secretary. Almost awake for
:06:10. > :06:15.others. That's the sense in the home of the EU. There's no reason to
:06:16. > :06:20.pretend that this is a happy day, neither in Brussels nor in London.
:06:21. > :06:24.Somehow was coming back from Brussels will bypass this place and
:06:25. > :06:27.flow to Hollywood, Cardiff and storm on. For Remainers here and in the
:06:28. > :06:31.Scottish Government those promises don't go far enough. The Prime
:06:32. > :06:35.Minister still can't answer basic questions about what Brexit will
:06:36. > :06:40.mean for businesses, the economy generally and for the type of
:06:41. > :06:44.society we live in. This six simple pages will do much to determine our
:06:45. > :06:48.place in the world in the future. The letter is less abrasive intent
:06:49. > :06:52.to the rest of the EU than when to reason they started as Prime
:06:53. > :06:57.Minister. But she still had to persuade her party she really was
:06:58. > :07:00.committed to leaving. Now the clamour of the referenda misconduct,
:07:01. > :07:06.the tone is politely plaque to call. -- practical. The message of the
:07:07. > :07:12.letter, get real. You need us and we need you. Remember we bring a lot to
:07:13. > :07:14.the table when it comes to policing, security and intelligence services.
:07:15. > :07:21.It wasn't firing a shot but she was just making a reminder, remember
:07:22. > :07:24.what is at stake here. It is exciting but I don't underestimate
:07:25. > :07:29.the scale of the task that lies ahead in the next two years. What
:07:30. > :07:33.has happened today is the biggest stimulation of British power and
:07:34. > :07:36.sovereignty in my lifetime. A letter which is really about kicking off a
:07:37. > :07:41.trade negotiation had six mentions of trade and 11 mentions of
:07:42. > :07:46.security. It struck me as a reckless series of threats. Not that he ever
:07:47. > :07:52.needs a reason to be pictured with a pint, today Ukip were celebrating.
:07:53. > :07:56.Over the moon, happy. Today, for me, after 25 years of campaigning, the
:07:57. > :08:01.impossible dream came true, I'm very pleased. And look who popped up
:08:02. > :08:04.later. What matters now is that we have a successful negotiation and
:08:05. > :08:08.try to maintain a close relationship between Britain and the European
:08:09. > :08:11.Union. In a rare interview inside number ten the Prime Minister
:08:12. > :08:15.promised, despite all the challenges, our relationship with
:08:16. > :08:19.the rest of the continent will be just as good. What we are both
:08:20. > :08:26.looking for is that comprehensive free trade agreement which gives
:08:27. > :08:29.that ability to trade freely into the European single market and for
:08:30. > :08:31.them to trade with us. It will be a different relationship but I think
:08:32. > :08:34.it will have the same benefits in terms of that free access to trade.
:08:35. > :08:39.An assertion that will take a lot to prove. One her counterparts in
:08:40. > :08:40.Europe struggle to believe. Number ten's time for preparation is up,
:08:41. > :08:44.now time to try to persuade. As we've heard the President
:08:45. > :08:47.of the European Council said he would not pretend it was a happy
:08:48. > :08:50.day but said the remaining EU members are united
:08:51. > :08:52.and are determined to protect their interests during,
:08:53. > :08:54.what he called the 'difficult Let's go to our Europe Editor Katya
:08:55. > :09:10.Adler who is in Brussels now. The EU has now received a letter
:09:11. > :09:16.from London and it wants a bit of time to digestives contents. We'll
:09:17. > :09:18.be hearing more about the EU political guidelines for
:09:19. > :09:22.negotiations on Friday. In the meantime the EU is trying to take
:09:23. > :09:26.the enormity of today. It has been a long road for the UK since the
:09:27. > :09:30.referendum but the EU has been anxiously holding its breath as well
:09:31. > :09:32.with many believing it will never come to today, the day that Article
:09:33. > :09:35.50 is triggered. The man with the burning
:09:36. > :09:37.letter in his briefcase. He arrived without much fanfare
:09:38. > :09:46.and the European Council This isn't just an historic
:09:47. > :09:53.day for the UK. For the EU it is a momentus
:09:54. > :09:56.and never to be forgotten Visibly unhappy, this
:09:57. > :10:03.was the recipient of Britain's Donald Tusk, the man
:10:04. > :10:09.who represents all EU member There is nothing to win
:10:10. > :10:15.in this process, and I'm Well, the European Commission
:10:16. > :10:31.is the lead negotiator for the EU Frans Timmermans is
:10:32. > :10:40.the commission's vice president. But how can negotiations even start,
:10:41. > :10:42.I wondered, with both The UK wants divorce talks and talks
:10:43. > :10:46.of a new trade deal in parallel. Everyone starts with his
:10:47. > :10:55.own interest and tries to formulate his own interest
:10:56. > :10:57.in the best possible way, So what's the problem
:10:58. > :11:00.in having parallel talks? Talking about trade at the same time
:11:01. > :11:04.as divorce, for example? The position of the EU will be
:11:05. > :11:08.determined on the basis of a careful There can be no future settlement
:11:09. > :11:15.if we're not very clear on how the divorce settlement
:11:16. > :11:18.is going to be. To make two years of complex
:11:19. > :11:24.negotiations even thornier, the UK isn't talking just
:11:25. > :11:27.to the European Commission. The real power behind the throne
:11:28. > :11:30.lies in the EU capitals, Berlin, They will take any big political
:11:31. > :11:37.decisions for the EU when it comes They don't and won't always
:11:38. > :11:42.agree with one another. And the Article 50 time frame
:11:43. > :11:46.is very, very tight. Just before everyone
:11:47. > :11:58.heads into the lions den, there were conciliatory noises
:11:59. > :12:00.all round in Europe today. Look at the front page
:12:01. > :12:03.of this German newspaper. And then this from Germany's
:12:04. > :12:05.powerful Europhile Prime Minister. TRANSLATION: We, the European Union,
:12:06. > :12:07.will conduct fair and I hope that the British
:12:08. > :12:10.government will approach Chancellor Merkel also stressed
:12:11. > :12:18.the importance of deciding the fate of EU citizens living in the UK
:12:19. > :12:21.and British citizens in the EU ASAP. Thankful for one issue,
:12:22. > :12:26.at least, to unite around. In her statement to MPs today
:12:27. > :12:35.Theresa May said she'd negotiate for the whole of the UK,
:12:36. > :12:38.taking into account the interests Well, let's see how her
:12:39. > :12:41.words have gone down. In a moment we'll be talking
:12:42. > :12:44.to Chris Buckler who's in County Tyrone and Sian Lloyd
:12:45. > :13:01.in Cardiff but first to our Scotland Scotland's First Minister today said
:13:02. > :13:06.she does wish to reason a success with upcoming negotiations because a
:13:07. > :13:10.good UK deal is in Scotland's interests, but she is not optimistic
:13:11. > :13:14.about that. She described the process as a leap in the dark. The
:13:15. > :13:17.Scottish Government have not been terribly impressed with the promise
:13:18. > :13:22.of a significant increase in powers for the Scottish Parliament Theresa
:13:23. > :13:26.May mention today because they said they haven't had any commitment on
:13:27. > :13:30.what powers might come to Holyrood after Brexit. Of course Nicola
:13:31. > :13:34.Sturgeon is busy writing a letter of her own at the moment, one she will
:13:35. > :13:38.send to the Prime Minister making a formal request for a Scottish
:13:39. > :13:42.referendum, what she already knows the answer. Theresa May will say
:13:43. > :13:45.there can be no discussions about another referendum until this Brexit
:13:46. > :13:51.deal is done and Scottish voters have had a chance to see how it is
:13:52. > :13:54.working. I'm standing at one of the 260 crossing points between Northern
:13:55. > :13:59.Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and this bridge will become part of
:14:00. > :14:03.the UK's only land border with an EU country. This river might be seen as
:14:04. > :14:09.a dividing line but it's not treated like that by people who live here,
:14:10. > :14:14.they cross for work, for access to health care and other services, and
:14:15. > :14:17.for trade. That's why the British and Irish government have been so
:14:18. > :14:20.strong in saying they want these roads to remain open. If anything
:14:21. > :14:23.European Parliament went further to date saying that they would not
:14:24. > :14:29.accept a hard border on the island of Ireland. Theresa May has been
:14:30. > :14:36.clear that they don't want anything that will threaten the peace process
:14:37. > :14:38.here. In reality Brexit has already been divisive. At storm onto the
:14:39. > :14:42.power-sharing government has collapsed. That was not caused by
:14:43. > :14:47.the issue, however Brexit does have the potential to fuel political
:14:48. > :14:50.differences. Irish Republican Army been listening closely to the push
:14:51. > :14:54.for an independence referendum in Scotland. They point out that just
:14:55. > :14:58.as in Scotland, the majority of people in Northern Ireland voted to
:14:59. > :15:02.stay inside the European Union, and they are calling for a border poll,
:15:03. > :15:11.an independence referendum, a referendum really on Irish unity.
:15:12. > :15:14.Wales voted to leave the European Union. There was a recognition of
:15:15. > :15:19.that this morning when Carwyn Jones said he would be working with the UK
:15:20. > :15:24.government to get the best deal for Wales. By this afternoon, the cracks
:15:25. > :15:29.had begun to appear and you sensed his frustration when he said he it
:15:30. > :15:33.was regrettable the Welsh government had not been able to contribute to
:15:34. > :15:36.the Article 50 letter and the devolved administrations had been
:15:37. > :15:44.treated with a lack of respect. He'd already voiced his concerns about
:15:45. > :15:49.economic subsidies. He wasn't sure what would be happening after 2020,
:15:50. > :15:55.he said. There were no guarantees. Add the moment, some of the poorest
:15:56. > :16:00.parts of Wales share ?2 billion of grant aid. The leaders of the Welsh
:16:01. > :16:04.Conservatives said that is scaremongering and Theresa May has
:16:05. > :16:07.said the specific interests of the nations will be taken into account.
:16:08. > :16:11.The clock started ticking from the moment the letter
:16:12. > :16:13.was delivered to Brussels this morning and the parties will have
:16:14. > :16:19.two years to conclude negotiations on Britain's exit from the EU.
:16:20. > :16:22.On Friday the European Council will make the next move
:16:23. > :16:26.by setting out its proposals for the negotiations to come.
:16:27. > :16:30.A month later, at an EU summit, the remaining twenty seven countries
:16:31. > :16:35.are expected to debate and then agree on those proposals.
:16:36. > :16:39.The talking will then start but big decisions may have to wait till
:16:40. > :16:44.after the French and German elections held in May and September.
:16:45. > :16:47.The negotiations should finish by October next year when the UK
:16:48. > :16:52.and EU parliaments will both vote on the final deal.
:16:53. > :16:58.That's the plan but we are in uncharted territory.
:16:59. > :17:05.Our Political editor Laura Kuenssberg is at Westminster
:17:06. > :17:11.Ultimately, what have we learnt about what the next two years might
:17:12. > :17:16.look like? The tone of these important six pages tell us a couple
:17:17. > :17:20.of important things. First of all, the Prime Minister feels the need to
:17:21. > :17:24.persuade the rest of the EU we are not out to harm them, we're not out
:17:25. > :17:29.there to do them damage, that we still share what she called European
:17:30. > :17:33.values. That tells us she is aware how difficult this may be and there
:17:34. > :17:38.were hints between the lines, too, she may be ready to compromise, that
:17:39. > :17:42.she is up for some form of give and take in different areas but it is
:17:43. > :17:46.also absolutely plain she isn't going to just play nice. The letter
:17:47. > :17:50.featured prominently the issue of security. That has been something
:17:51. > :17:56.that has been mentioned before but quietly. She is willing to make that
:17:57. > :18:00.part of the negotiation. Her supporters would say it's common
:18:01. > :18:04.sense because this has to be a deal in the round but it is controversial
:18:05. > :18:10.in some quarters and it has raised some eyebrows here and around the
:18:11. > :18:14.EU. Her close confidence always a of the Prime Minister she is fearless
:18:15. > :18:18.in the pursuit of what she wants to achieve but, my goodness, she will
:18:19. > :18:23.need to be. Just an early glimpse of the first responses from the rest of
:18:24. > :18:27.the EU, they give a taste of the kind of resistance she may well face
:18:28. > :18:35.in the next couple of years. All right, thank you.
:18:36. > :18:45.Pe referendum was one of the biggest boats in EU history. 33.5 people
:18:46. > :18:49.took part, revealing the divide about the relationship in Europe.
:18:50. > :18:52.How do people feel now? Our home editor has been to Dover where more
:18:53. > :18:55.than 60% of people voted to leave. The ancient town of Dover reminds us
:18:56. > :18:59.of our closeness to mainland Europe, In the Town Hall, festooned
:19:00. > :19:03.with relics of Britain's complex relationship with the lands
:19:04. > :19:05.across the Channel, we have We briefed our Article 50 jury
:19:06. > :19:22.on what the negotiations What I am proposing cannot mean
:19:23. > :19:31.membership of the single market. We do need to take back
:19:32. > :19:34.control of our borders. Losing our single trade deal as part
:19:35. > :19:38.of it, it has to happen. What about the trade stuff,
:19:39. > :19:40.are you worried that economically, I think in the beginning we may
:19:41. > :19:47.well take a nosedive. But it's something
:19:48. > :19:51.we will recover from. If we take a nosedive,
:19:52. > :19:53.who actually suffers? We are going to be, the country
:19:54. > :20:06.is going to stagnate economically. I don't think it will ever come out
:20:07. > :20:13.to be Billy-no-mates because this country is too well loved
:20:14. > :20:15.all over the world. I just hope that this Brexit thing
:20:16. > :20:22.does not affect many So you're worried we somehow create
:20:23. > :20:27.division when we disentangle My son is 24 and it terrifies me,
:20:28. > :20:37.he and his generation might be in a situation that
:20:38. > :20:43.we end up in a war. I think it's up to us
:20:44. > :20:50.as people that voted out, That everything is
:20:51. > :20:54.going to be all right. Let's imagine we get
:20:55. > :20:56.to the two-year point, John, what do you
:20:57. > :20:59.think should happen? Put our arms out to
:21:00. > :21:11.the rest of the world. It will take more than two years,
:21:12. > :21:14.more than five years. We have just got to go in and show
:21:15. > :21:21.them that we do mean business. So how does our jury feel
:21:22. > :21:25.about triggering Article 50? Happy, unhappy, or
:21:26. > :21:30.worried and confused. Four happy, three
:21:31. > :21:38.worried, one unhappy. Our jury and indeed Britain
:21:39. > :21:41.is deeply divided on its reaction to the triggering of Article 50
:21:42. > :21:44.and similar arguments will be played out in the months
:21:45. > :21:47.of detailed talks ahead. In other news - a minute's silence
:21:48. > :21:57.has been held this afternoon on Westminster Bridge to mark
:21:58. > :21:59.the moment Khalid Masood Four people were killed,
:22:00. > :22:05.including a police officer. The inquests into their deaths
:22:06. > :22:22.were opened earlier today. Their anguish and pain so obvious.
:22:23. > :22:28.The family of the American victim, Kurt Cochran, came to Westminster to
:22:29. > :22:33.remember. They mourned his loss together at the place where he was
:22:34. > :22:37.hit and thrown from the bridge. Kurt Cochran was the first to be hit when
:22:38. > :22:43.the vehicle careered onto the pavement. Teacher Aysha Frade also
:22:44. > :22:48.died, she had two children. Leslie Rhodes was also killed on the
:22:49. > :22:53.bridge, he was 75 years old. The final victim was PC Keith Palmer. He
:22:54. > :23:00.died despite the desperate efforts to save him. Earlier, at exactly
:23:01. > :23:04.2:40pm, the moment the attack began a week ago, the family joined others
:23:05. > :23:13.on the bridge whose lives had changed last Wednesday. They
:23:14. > :23:17.included this man Fromm Romania who suffered a broken foot. His
:23:18. > :23:22.girlfriend was thrown from the bridge and she remains in a stable
:23:23. > :23:27.but critical condition in hospital. Doctors, nurses and ambulance crews
:23:28. > :23:31.were also in Westminster, with schoolchildren and representatives
:23:32. > :23:37.of different faith groups. They stopped in silence and solidarity.
:23:38. > :23:42.The memories of last week will have been particularly war for the
:23:43. > :23:49.Metropolitan police officers. A group who had lost a one of their
:23:50. > :23:54.rent. They recalled the sacrifice of PC Keith Palmer. This afternoon is
:23:55. > :23:59.about remembering the victims of last week's events. Our thoughts and
:24:00. > :24:05.prayers go out to everyone who was affected by the events last week. It
:24:06. > :24:09.was a moment of calm after the chaos here of exactly one week ago. It was
:24:10. > :24:14.also a united front against the horror and violence of the attack.
:24:15. > :24:18.Today, inquests opened into the deaths of three of those killed. It
:24:19. > :24:22.was also announced there would be two separate reviews of security
:24:23. > :24:28.following the Westminster attack. But this afternoon was about an act
:24:29. > :24:33.of remembrance, a chance for Londoners to stand together.
:24:34. > :24:36.A private funeral for the singer George Michael has taken
:24:37. > :24:39.His publicist said it was a small ceremony, attended by
:24:40. > :24:42.The singer's family thanked his "fans across the world
:24:43. > :24:46."for their many messages of love and support".
:24:47. > :24:48.George Michael was found dead at his Oxfordshire home
:24:49. > :25:03.Returning to our main story. Britain's exit from the EU. Let's
:25:04. > :25:11.sum up where we are at the end of today. Through this whole debate,
:25:12. > :25:17.the economy has been a key issue. Were there any clues today what we
:25:18. > :25:21.might see on that front? This is often fashioned as a titanic
:25:22. > :25:25.struggle between the politics of Brexit, sovereignty, taking back
:25:26. > :25:30.control, less immigration and the economic self Brexit, the freest
:25:31. > :25:36.possible trading relationship with the EU. Today, to an extent at
:25:37. > :25:40.least, the economics won out. Theresa May talked about ensuring
:25:41. > :25:45.prosperity. She spoke about the need for an ambitious free trade deal.
:25:46. > :25:49.Wasn't it interesting Philip Hammond was sitting right next Theresa May
:25:50. > :25:53.as she spoke in the House of Commons? He is the man, the
:25:54. > :25:58.Chancellor in charge of the UK economy. There wasn't any talk of no
:25:59. > :26:03.deal being better. Walking away from a deal would be better than a bad
:26:04. > :26:08.deal. No talk of that. So quite a lot of conciliation. There is a big
:26:09. > :26:13.sense behind this in Number Ten, although recent polling has revealed
:26:14. > :26:19.that, for the public, Brexit and the economy have leapt to the top of
:26:20. > :26:22.their concerns. Theresa May knows that disruption to the relationship
:26:23. > :26:26.of our biggest trading partner, the EU, is and economic risk and a
:26:27. > :26:40.political risk for heart. Let me turn this on its head. What
:26:41. > :26:43.affect will Brexit have on the EU? Well, many in the UK celebrate
:26:44. > :26:48.Brexit is a chance for a brand-new start but there are no upside for
:26:49. > :26:52.the EU. It loses an influential member, a powerful economy, one of
:26:53. > :26:57.only two military powers in Europe and a key contributor to the EU
:26:58. > :27:02.budget. While EU leaders defiantly say Brexit brings you closer
:27:03. > :27:07.together, it actually puts pressure on an already weakened EU whose
:27:08. > :27:11.members fall out over funding, over the euro and migration so how will
:27:12. > :27:15.they keep a united front on each country has different priorities
:27:16. > :27:19.when it comes to Brexit? Poland is more likely to want to appease the
:27:20. > :27:22.UK. It wants to safeguard the rights of its citizens living in Britain,
:27:23. > :27:28.whereas Germany what's politics before practicalities and it wants
:27:29. > :27:31.to ensure the integrity of the single market and the EU as a whole.
:27:32. > :27:36.There is anyone a ray of light to the EU. When it comes to the
:27:37. > :27:38.negotiations, it believes it has the upper hand. Far less under time
:27:39. > :27:42.pressure than the UK to get a deal. And Andrew Neil will interview
:27:43. > :27:45.the Prime Minister Theresa May That's in half an hour
:27:46. > :28:02.here on BBC One. There is some warm weather on the
:28:03. > :28:07.way. Today it has been cloudy, not much sunshine. We had some rain in
:28:08. > :28:12.Pembrokeshire and it would continue to be wet at times mainly across the
:28:13. > :28:15.North and west with heavier rain running northwards across Scotland.
:28:16. > :28:21.Later in the night, some bursts of rain in the south-west, heading into
:28:22. > :28:27.the Midlands and the south-east. But a really mild night night, 11-12
:28:28. > :28:30.fairly typical with a lot of cloud. This rain in the Midlands pushes
:28:31. > :28:36.away then we have brighter skies with sunshine hedging up into the
:28:37. > :28:40.South. The wetter weather is restricted to areas around the Irish
:28:41. > :28:45.Sea. Northern Scotland should be warmer than it has been, especially
:28:46. > :28:49.in the north-east, thanks to the wind changing direction. Southern
:28:50. > :28:55.Scotland is still wet, with rain across the north-west of England,
:28:56. > :29:00.not far away from Northern Ireland. For most of England and Wales, we
:29:01. > :29:05.get brighter weather, much warmer weather coming up from the south
:29:06. > :29:10.with temperatures as high as 22! Heading into Friday, the main focus
:29:11. > :29:12.of the rain is with the low pressure, taking it away from
:29:13. > :29:17.Northern Ireland and up into Scotland. That weather front is
:29:18. > :29:22.weeks so there isn't much rain in the UK. Some fresh air following in
:29:23. > :29:28.behind, and it'll feel pleasant in the sunshine. The weekend, a weekend
:29:29. > :29:32.of two halves. Saturday will have some sunshine at showers as well.
:29:33. > :29:38.The wind is slow-moving so slow-moving showers. Then the
:29:39. > :29:42.showers move away and a Julie Bob start to Sunday, a dry and brighter
:29:43. > :29:44.day with sunshine around, quite pleasant again before we get the
:29:45. > :29:58.wind and rain ie the end of the day. The letter has been delivered to
:29:59. > :30:06.Brussels marking the start of Britain's departure from the
:30:07. > :30:07.European Union after 44 years of membership. That's all from the BBC