29/03/2017 Breakfast

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

A moment of history as Theresa May signs the letter that tells the EU

The letter will be hand delivered to Brussels this lunchtime.

The Prime Minister will tell MPs it's now time for the country

As the government gets ready for two years of talks,

members of the cabinet will meet at Downing Street this morning.

We'll hear from British people at home and abroad.

I don't like being dictated to by bureaucrats in Brussels. I'm not

very happy with the immigration problem we're having. I worry mainly

for my healthcare and I worry about my pension and I also worry that

we'll be losing many, many friends. Exporting to the EU is big business

for this pottery. As part of my tour along the A50 I will find out what

they want to see from trade deals when we leave the European Union.

Good morning, it's Wednesday 29th March.

A former employer of the Westminster killer Khalid Masood tells the BBC

was motivated by religious extremism.

His period in Luton and before, he wasn't a radical. In prison in Saudi

Arabia and in the period he spent in Luton. If he was I definitely would

have identified those signs. In sport, Great Britain will be

without Andy Murray as they take on France in the Davis Cup

quarter finals next week. Good morning. Cloudy skies rather

than sunny ones muggy today, rain in the west at times. Details on all

that and a bit more warmth on the way. More details in 15 minutes.

Theresa May has signed the letter that will formally begin the UK's

The letter will be delivered by hand to the President

of the European Council Donald Tusk at 12:30pm this lunchtime.

At the same time, the Prime Minister will make a statement to the Commons

in which she'll urge the country to come together as it embarks

Our political correspondent Carol Walker is in Downing Street.

That's where the Cabinet will meet this morning.

It is a significant day, isn't it? Yes, this is a day we can truly call

historic because the process which begins really will shape our lives

and our laws for decades to come. We saw those pictures last night of the

Prime Minister signing that letter, setting out the UK's negotiating

stance. As you said, that will be delivered by hand to the president

of the European council at about the same time that Theresa May will

stand up in the houses of Parliament and tell us what it said, setting

out the UK's negotiating stance. We know what the priorities are going

to be, the broad outlines, we're going to be leaving not just the EU

but the single market, they'll be an end to the free movement of people,

we'll almost certainly be leaving the customs union. But what was

striking last night in the statement released by Downing Street was

Theresa May spoke about her fierce determination to get the right deal

for everyone in the country. Sheet spoke of it as a time to come

together. Her big challenge is to find a deal that works not just for

those that really want to leave and the cleanest possible break from the

EU, but those that wanted to stay in the EU and are very concerned about

what the future brings. Let's look at how we reached this point. This

report from my colleague, Alex Forsyth.

More than four decades ago the UK first signed up to the then European

community. Today those years of membership will start to come to an

end. David Cameron's promised back in 2013 was key in getting to this

point. He said that Britain would get to choose whether to stay in or

leave the European Union, hoping to end years of debate about the

relationship. It is time for the British people to have their say. It

is time for us to settle this question about Britain and Europe.

So last year, politicians of all persuasions took to Britain's

streets, making the case for Leave and Remain. Then in June, the

country decided. The British people have spoken and the answer is, we're

out. The consequences were immediate. For some there was

jubilation. For others, contemplation, even devastation. And

for him, resignation. I think that the country requires fresh

leadership to take it in this direction. The new Prime Minister

pledged from the start to honour the referendum result. Brexit memes

Brexit, and we're going to make a success of it. And that process will

begin in earnest today with a letter sent from here to Brussels formally

saying the UK wants to leave the EU. Then some two years of negotiations

will follow with a whole host of issues to be resolved. Everything

from the rights of EU citizens living here and elsewhere to

Britain's financial commitments to the EU and its future trading

relationship. And there are decades of EU legislation and regulations

that need to be un-pick. The process of leaving is unprecedented. It will

be complex and at times uncertain. There will be challenges and

opportunities. And with the Prime Minister's signature on this letter,

it all begins today. Alex Forsyth, BBC News, Westminster.

Throughout the morning we'll hear from politicians who backed Brexit,

and those who campaigned to Remain, as well as speaking to our

correspondents around the UK and Europe.

Commemorative events are taking place this afternoon to remember

in the Westminster attack a week ago.

Khalid Masood ran over and killed three pedestrians

on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman to death

Inquests into his victims' deaths will also begin today.

The former boss of the language school in Luton where

the Westminster attacker Khalid Masood taught for two years

has told the BBC that he doesn't believe the attack was motivated

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous,

has not seen Masood since 2012, but says he wouldn't have

believed him to be capable of such violence.

Khalid Masood, who killed and caused horrific injuries. A man who here in

Luton taught English as a foreign language. Funny, intelligent,

popular. How his former boss, who didn't want to show his face,

described him. It took me about a day for it to dawn on me that it was

him that committed the crime. I was bewildered, shocked, angry, in

disbelief really, he wasn't the kind of man I knew. What was he, what

were his habits, what was he like? I only knew him in an office

environment, he came in to have a cup of tea every now and again, he

talked about his past, his transition to Islam. Farasat told me

Masood prayed in his lunch hour, a practising Muslim but not an mystery

missed. His period in Luton and before he wasn't a radical. -- and

extremist. If he was I definitely would have identified those signs.

Once again a count defending itself against links to terrorism, but if

Masood was radicalised, prominent voices within this community said it

didn't happen here. Mark Kyle trite, BBC News -- Mike Cartright.

President Trump has signed a new executive order to rip up

measures put in place by Barack Obama to curb global warming.

He's ended numerous restrictions on the coal industry,

and promised that more jobs would be created as a result.

Environmental campaigners say they will fight the move in court.

Our North America editor Jon Sopel reports.

The coal industry was beginning to look like an endangered species

in the US under Barack Obama but if President Trump has his way

coal will soon be king again and today he signed a raft

of measures reversing the policies of his predecessor.

My administration is putting an end to the war on coal,

we're going to have clean coal, really clean coal.

With today's executive action I'm taking historic steps to lift

the restrictions on American energy, to reverse government intrusion

and to cancel job-killing regulations.

This is Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, a town that voted overwhelmingly

for Donald Trump last November, in part down to his pledge

to overturn Obama-era pledges on energy.

The colliery here shut down a year ago.

Today there's growing confidence their industry might

As of right now, money is picking back up, they do believe mining

is going to pick up and they are going to get their jobs back.

Around this area, mining is picking back up.

But environmental campaigners are aghast and wonder where it

leaves the Paris limate change agreement that President Obama

committed the US to in December, 2015.

If Mr Trump does not honour the Paris deal,

he would join a very small club that includes Syria,

The President wants oil men to be able to drill and miners

to be able to dig, but the reason so many pits shut down wasn't

because of regulation, it was because they'd become

uneconomic as consumers moved to cheaper, cleaner forms of fuel.

It's hard to see how the signing of an executive order changes that.

The British wife of the French presidential candidate

Francois Fillon, has been placed under investigation over claims

that she was paid by her husband for work she didn't do.

Penelope Fillon is being investigated in connection

with her role as her husband's parliamentary assistant.

The scandal is thought to have seriously harmed her husband's

chances of becoming the next French President.

An American man who was paralysed from the shoulders down

has been able to feed himself and hold onto a cup of coffee

after surgeons placed implants in his brain and arm.

Bill had paralysis in all four of his limbs,

after his bicycle ran into the back of a lorry.

Alexandra Mackenzie has more details.

number and behold, I was able to eat the mashed potatoes really well.

58-year-old bill was paralysed from the shoulders down after a cycling

accident eight years ago. -- Lo and behold. I was raining really badly.

I was following a meal truck and I was keeping my distance pretty good

but then it stopped to deliver a package and I ran right into the

back of the mail truck -- mail truck. Bill was left totally

dependent but determine his life didn't end there, he signed himself

up for medical research in Ohio. My father said, you really want to do

this? I said yes, somebody has to do research. If nobody does research,

things don't get done. He volunteered for surgery. Censors

were placed in the part of his brain that controls hand movement. They

send messages to the 36 muscles stimulating electrodes placed in his

arm. We've bridged his spinal injury, he can now think about

moving his arm and his arm moves. I can move it up and down, it's pretty

cool. I get to be the first one in the world to do it. Bill is the only

person to use the new experimental technology, tested in America. But

the medical journal the Lancet said it's a major advance. Doctors

acknowledge this has some way to go before it is clinically accepted but

said it could eventually transform the lives of many living with

paralysis. I'm still... I hope it will help out many more people for

used to come. Alexandra Mackenzie, BBC News.

An amazing incredible of element! Technology is sometimes a brilliant

thing! Sometimes you are worried about it? I don't worry, I fight it.

A monumental day in Brexit, it is on its way, the letter, to Brussels,

around lunchtime. We will speak to those who have been pro- Brexit,

some have been Remainers, to try to get a sense of what might happen in

the next few months. Lots to do today. Lots going on in the sport.

Two years it is going to take and the ongoing ramifications! Good

morning! Andy Murray missing for Great Britain for the Davis Cup tie

against France this week, a big loss to the team, obviously, he's the

world number one, but France, one of the world superpowers in tennis, so

a tough time for the players that are left.

Great Britain captain Leon Smith says being without Andy Murray

will be a big loss to his Davis Cup team

for their quarter-final against France.

The world number one won't be fit for the tie in Rouen,

which starts a week on Friday, because of a tear in his elbow.

No decision has been made yet about when he'll return to action.

Liverpool could be without midfielder Adam Lallana for up

He injured his thigh while on international duty

It's thought he could potentially miss five games

for his club including this weekend's Mersyside derby.

The referee had a little help last night as France played

two wrong decisions, including this, a goal that wasn't

And after missing most of the 6 Nations with an ankle injury,

Scotland rugby union captain Greig Laidlaw hopes to be back

Both Scotland and the British and Irish Lions are touring

Some big fixtures coming up for Scotland against Australia, Fiji and

Italy, which will be a bit easier than the Australian and Fijian

fixtures. Shovelling the papers and getting ready for the paper review,

which we will do shortly. -- shuffling. Map is here with a look

at the weather. A bit of drizzle around? -- Matt.

Skies today, but there will be some outbreaks of rain, some drizzle

around, especially in the west, good news for some of the gardens at the

moment. Clear skies in Continental Europe, bringing the cloud in off

the Atlantic. The biggest cloud in western areas, here you're likely to

get wet, but like rain and result elsewhere in eastern parts and

southern Scotland. Heaviest bursts around today, most likely in the

hills in western parts, especially in parts of Wales and north-west

England and later in south-west Scotland. Some will stay dry. Not

bad in Shetland. A cool feel as we see across eastern Scotland. This to

the hills and the rest of Scotland. Wet as we finish the afternoon and

into rush-hour. Rain on and off through the day in the Northern

Isles. Maybe some sunshine. Fairly damp in the hills of Cumbria, north

Lancashire, patchy rain to the east of the Pennines. Damp around

Snowdonia. While we will have to resolve this morning in the southern

and eastern parts of England, dry in the afternoon. Highs of about 17

degrees. Tonight the rain will come and go in the north and west. Still

heavier bursts, especially late in the night. Some splashes towards the

Midlands and maybe the south-east for those getting up early tomorrow.

Note temperatures tomorrow morning. Double figures for many. Southerly

winds bringing in warm air. That is most noticeable on Thursday in the

south-east corner. 21 or 22 is the high. Dry with sunny spells. A lot

of cloud elsewhere, much like today. The western areas sees the rain come

and go. The heaviest bursting Cumbria and the north and west of

Wales. In the western areas the rain gets heavier into Friday. Mild air

still coming in on Friday and parts of eastern England staying dry, with

sunny spells too. A change into the weekend. We swapped low pressure on

Friday with high pressure by the time we get to Sunday. That means

that on Saturday the progress from low to high means we have a band of

showers and a lot of cloud, outbreaks of heavy and thundery rain

pushing eastwards. Temperatures dropping later. Still sunshine

around on Saturday, but more of it to come on Sunday as the high

pressure builds in. The second half looking dry and bright for many.

Let's bring you up-to-date with our main story this morning.

The Prime Minister officially begins the Brexit process.

A letter stating the UK's intention to leave the EU will be delivered

Environmental campaigners criticise Donald Trump's executive order

overturning restrictions on coal mining.

The US president says it will create millions of jobs.

That's a big signature. Another important signature makes

the front pages of all of the papers this morning. My fierce

determination. This is about what the Prime Minister will say later

today. My determination to get the right deal for every single person

in this country. That's what Theresa May says. That's on the front page

of the Telegraph. That's the picture on most of the

papers this morning. The Times. We've got the first Prime Minister

watching on, as the reason May signs that. It is also on the front page

of the Express. -- Theresa May. The Sun. They've got to sign up on the

white cliffs of Jove. This is the Guardian. They have a

little digs or puzzle of Europe. They are discussing what might

happen not just today but what happens in the coming weeks. --

jigsaw. We know there's a Cabinet meeting at

eight o'clock this morning. This hand-delivered letter will be taken

to officials by the Ambassador at about 12 o'clock today. We don't

know what's in it, but the Daily Mirror says, dear EU, it's time to

go. We don't know what's in a letter, but lots of people are

speculating what might be in the letter. This is the Mail. Talking

about the long campaign to be home for Easter.

What have you got this morning? Lots of bits and pieces in the sports

news. This tribute caught our eye. Newcastle's legendary tea lady who

has died at the age of 90. She was a regular fixture around Newcastle and

worked there from 1963 and she only retired a couple of years ago. She

served tea to 26 managers and became famous when she served this cup of

tea in the middle of a press conference that was held to make a

public apology for those two on either side of him. A very sombre

tone and she came in and served a couple of tea in the middle. Of

course Newcastle legend Alan Shearer says she was devoted, always made

him smile and made the very best tea.

Something else I would like to show you. This is in the Mirror. Have you

heard this story about Gary Barlow, who will be in the new Star Wars? He

says he will show his face. The Mirror have shown the famous people

who have been in cameos in films. Including Donald Trump who was in

home alone. David Beckham who was in The Man from Uncle. And apparently

this is Daniel Craig in The Force Awakens, but he has never confirmed

or denied if that was him in the storm trooper outfit.

Cate Blanchett. Various other people, including Salman Rushdie, in

Bridget Jones's Diary. Remember Michael Jackson in Men in

Black? I going to watch some of those again and see if I can spot

them. We watch Staying Alive and see if you can spot Sylvester Stallone.

Other news this morning. President Trump has hit his latest battle and

angered environmental campaigners after scrapping measures put in

place by Barack Obama to curb global warming.

On the campaign trail, he repeatedly promised to support the call

industry, saying climate change is just a hoax. -- call industry.

Joining us now from Washington is Paul Bledsoe,

a former Clinton White House climate advisor and now a lecturer

at American University's Center for Environmental Policy.

Thanks very much for your time. Explain for us in the UK what

exactly does this executive order mean? Will change on the back of

this? It does several things. It reopens coal leasing on US federal

lands. But in the last five years only one coal lease has been bid on

because there's a lot of unwanted coal. It also directs the

environmental protection agency to an do the Obama regulations on

greenhouse gas emissions. But that issue is also likely to end up in

the courts. The truth is that this may turn out to be a relatively weak

executive order. My own view is it will do almost nothing to help the

drop in coal jobs in the US. The US has lost two thirds of its coal jobs

in the last 23 years and that happened because of market forces,

primarily the introduction of very cheap natural gas and renewable

energy. So I think Donald Trump is really just whistling Dixie. This

was a campaign promise and it seems to have gone down well with the coal

industry, even though as you say, and if you look at the figures,

that's six coal-fired power plants have closed since Donald Trump took

office. It might be a declining industry but there are still workers

who need assistance from the government. That's right. Six have

closed since he was elected. 40 more are scheduled to be closed in the

next four years. But the solar industry has nearly three times the

jobs that coal does and it is growing at 12 times the rate of the

overall economy. So what's happening is business people and investors are

switching to clean energy because they know that carbon constraints

are inevitable in the United States and globally. Donald Trump can't

stop that, no matter what campaign promises he makes. Donald Trump has

said that he does believe in climate change. On the back of this and what

else we know about what he has said, do you think the US will honour its

commitments under the Paris climate deal or not? One of the problems

here is that the US has taken any vicious target under President

Obama. -- and ambitious. It is unlikely the US can make this

target, with the rollbacks that Donald Trump has proposed. Not just

on the EPA regulations on greenhouse gases, but he's talking about

rolling back efficiency standards for American cars and appliances, he

is talking about undermining programmes through the department of

energy for clean energy research. There are whole series of efforts he

is undertaking in the name of somehow the United States using more

fossil fuels. It really is fairly illogical altogether. I think the

world leaders need to talk to Donald Trump and explain to him that

climate change is not only a real problem, but it is already

destabilising whole parts of different countries, including for

example Syria. And that this is a national security issue and that I

think the US will ultimately stay in the Paris agreement. But the truth

is, the Paris agreement will be around a lot longer than Donald

Trump was Mac presidency. Thanks very much for joining us this

morning. What does starting divorce

proceedings mean for British business? This week, Steph has been

travelling in the Midlands, talking about Article 50! This morning she

is at a pottery factory in Stoke. Good morning. Good morning! Yes,

really fascinating here because you can see the pottery pieces being

made. They make about 6000 of these every week. Tell us what you are

doing? I am applying the print to this mug. It draws it in. Afterwards

we rub it with the soap. And it goes through a dishwasher process, which

makes it stick to it and eventually it looks like that. Lovely. Thank

you. The reason why we are here is because we are talking of course

about how businesses like this could be impacted by as leaving the

European Union. This business exports about 50% and 50% of that

goes to the EU. I will be talking to them later about what it will mean

for them. Time now to get the news,

travel and weather where you are. Plenty more on our website

at the usual address. Now though it's back

to Louise and Dan. Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin. We'll bring you all the latest news

and sport in a moment, but also on Breakfast

this morning... We're back on the A50

talking about Article 50. This morning Steph's

in Stoke-on-Trent to see what impact Brexit might have on the

pottery production line. Two judges have come under fire

in the last few days for remarks they've made

about the victims of crime. We'll be asking a retired judge

what sort of comments And when Edward VII

decided to abdicate, the first to know was a government

spy who was tapping We'll be discovering more

about the shady world of spying It is a fascinating story. It is. We

only know now because the papers have only recently been released.

More of that later. But now a summary of this

morning's main news. Theresa May has signed the letter

that will formally begin the UK's A picture of Theresa May signing

the letter was published It will be delivered

by hand to the President of the European Council

Donald Tusk at 12:30pm The Prime Minister will chair

a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street from

8am this morning. Later she'll make a statement

to MPs, urging the country to come together as it embarks

on a momentous journey. We can talk now to our correspondent

Dan Johnson, who's outside the residence of the UK Ambassador

to the European Union. We don't know, we don't know where

it is, we understand it has left London and it's in Brussels

somewhere. Whether it's under Sir Tim Barrow's pillow, we don't know.

This is the ambassador's residence in Brussels, he has to hand it over,

a big day for him, he will button up his waistcoat this morning and get

ready to hand over the letter at around lunchtime, around 12:30 p.m.,

and when he hands it over that's the moment Article 50 is triggered and

the two years of negotiations start on exactly when Britain will be the

EU. Dam, thank you very much indeed. Any more news about whether it is

under the pillow or wherever it is, let us know -- and. Quite an

important letter, you want to take care of it, like a best man with a

wedding ring. -- Dan. Commemorative events are taking

place this afternoon to remember those killed and injured

in the Westminster attack Khalid Masood ran over

and killed three pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before

stabbing a policeman to death Inquests into his victims' deaths

will also begin today. President Trump has signed

a new executive order to rip up measures put in place by

Barack Obama to curb global warming. He's ended numerous restrictions

on the coal industry, and promised that more jobs would be

created as a result. Environmental campaigners say

they will fight the move in court. An American man who was paralysed

from the shoulders down has been able to feed himself

and hold onto a cup of coffee after surgeons placed implants

in his brain and arm. Bill Kochevar had paralysis

in all four of his limbs, that was after his bicycle ran

into the back of a lorry. Doctors say it's the first

time a system controlled by the brain has been used to help

someone with severe paralysis, so they can reach and grasp

objects once again. The British wife of the French

presidential candidate Francois Fillon, has been placed

under investigation over claims that she was paid by her husband

for work she didn't do. Penelope Fillon is being

investigated in connection with her role as her husband's

parliamentary assistant. The scandal is thought to have

seriously harmed her husband's chances of becoming

the next French President. Remember a few weeks ago we showed

you the picture of a golfer slapping the back of an alligator at the

Arnold Palmer Invitational, and the next day someone saw the same

alligator and ran a mile. Would you like to see more alligators on a

golf course stories? Have a look at this.

This alligator interrupted a golf tournament in South Carolina

by walking across the course as players watched on.

All the players managed to jump into their buggies and drive off.

Look at the length of that! It is absolutely huge. Stately in some

ways. I'm trying to get a scale of that, I would say a couple of

metres. Yes it is. You don't want to stand next to it to get an idea. You

have a real issue with alligators, don't you? I don't want to see

pictures of them. You hate them, don't you? And Kat is here with all

the sport. That should be leading our sports bulletin but instead it

is Andy Murray, he won't be playing for Britain in the Davis Cup next

week but the good news is France have six of the world's top 50

players, so it was going to be a monumental task for the guys left in

the British team. It turns out Gael Monfils has a knee injury, Richard

Gasquet had his appendix out recently and Jo Wilfried Tsonga

recently became a father so hasn't been playing much so the top are

discounted for France, the top one discounted for Britain, still a

tough task Britain, though. Great Britain's Davis Cup captain

Leon Smith says no Andy Murray is a big loss to the team

ahead of next week's He has a tear in his elbow and needs

to rest but no decision has been made yet

about when he'll return. Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans,

Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot will head to Rouen without

the world number one He'll get back quickly because he's

a healthy and robust guide that at the same time he knows he can't just

rush these things. The next thing in the diary will be Monte Carlo

Masters series events, that's also one he'll be back for. It's a shame

but we've shown before that our team can do stuff on occasions without

him. It just makes it obviously a lot more difficult. But I know the

rest of the guys who are there will be giving it their all again.

One other bit of British tennis news and the number one female player,

Johanna Konta, plays third seed Simona Halep later today

in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open

You can follow that one across the BBC.

Liverpool could be without midfielder Adam Lallana for up

He injured his thigh while on international

Lallana played in Sunday's win over Lithuania as well as last

It's thought he could miss five games starting

with the Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday.

The Republic of Ireland's 15-game home unbeaten run ended last night

Meanwhile, the ref had some help in the friendly between France

and Antoine Griezmann thought he'd put France 1-0 up but the video

And Gerard Deulofeu scored Spain's second,

he was flagged offside, but the video was checked

And in the last hour or so, Brazil became the first country

to qualify for next year's World Cup

as they went through with four games

to spare after Uruguay's surprise defeat to Peru.

England Women's head coach Mark Sampson says form isn't

a priority at this stage after deciding to name his squad

for the European Championship more than three months

He'll confirm the list of names on Monday, to take away

any uncertainty among the players

They're looking to build on their third-place finish

at the World Cup in Canada two years ago.

We want to win, that's for sure. We'll go into this tournament with

the mindset we can win this tournament if we're at our best, we

need to win six games, that's what tournament football is about,

winning football matches and I think this team's ready for that. We've

experienced the tournament in Canada, some real big highs and some

real big blows, and that experience will be important come the summer.

Scotland rugby union captain Greig Laidlaw says he hopes to be

back playing in three or four weeks.

Laidlaw missed most of the 6 Nations campaign after injuring his

Next month Warren Gatland will name his British

and Irish Lions squad for the New Zealand tour and Laidlaw

believes a number of Scots have a great chance

The Scottish players are in with as much of a shout as any other players

to be honest with you. I felt through the Championship we were

probably consistently apart from the English game, individually there

were some strong performances. We'll need a strong squad to go to New

Zealand, it's the best place to go in the world to play rugby, a very

proud nation and it will be a tough talk for the players given the

privilege to represent the Lions. And front flips are usually

reserved for gymnastics a monster truck driver became

the first in the sport's history to pull off a front flip

at the Monster Jam World Finals. Lee O'Donnell, nicknamed

the Mad Scientist, and surprise of the crowd in Las

Vegas. Listen to the crowd! How on earth do

you do that? It looks like it was by mistake. Was it on purpose? The back

wheels... That is the first front flip in Monster Truck history. We

bring you all the breaking news on BBC Breakfast. That is why it is so

exciting for them, they know it is a significant moment.

For 44 years, the UK has been a key player in shaping policy in Europe.

Back then in 1973 it was called the European Economic Community.

As we prepare to leave, one of the issues that

to be resolved is what happens to EU citizens in Britain,

and British people living on the continent.

Our Europe correspondent Gavin Lee reports from Spain.

Benidorm feels a long way from Brussels. But when Article 50 is

trickled there today, it will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands

of British people in Spain -- triggered. Whether it's for better

or worse, Brexit's happening, and here on the south coast of Spain,

where there are more British expats than anywhere else in Europe, it's

causing anxiety, what happens to their pensions, free access to

healthcare and their right to stay here in the years to come. At the

Costa Blanca Mail Voice Choir, Keith Livsey is thinking about packing up

and returning to Britain after 23 years. I gave up my residency three

years ago -- weeks ago so I had to go to England in January and I've

started to pay tax in England. But I just personally see the British

government giving half ?1 billion to Spain so I can stay here. -- ?500

million. And that's just to get medical. I have medical, I am lucky,

if I was put in the situation where I had to make the decision I

wouldn't go back to the UK, I would in fact renounce my British

citizenship and take Spanish nationality, I would be quite happy

to do that. Along the coast, L Campello is home to many people who

have adjusted to a new life abroad, who have mixed feelings about what's

going on back home. I'm Brett, I've been here 14 years. I think Brexit

is good. I don't like being dictated to by bureaucrats in Brussels that

are not elected. I'm not very happy with the immigration problem we're

having. I'm bad, I've lived in Spain for nine years and I think... I

worry mainly about my healthcare, I worry about my pension and I'll also

worry that we'll be losing many many friends in the European Union. My

name is so, I came out here three years ago to retire. Originally I

was very confused about Brexit, very worried, but now on reflection I

think it's a good thing and I'm still slightly confused but I think

it will be a good thing and it will be all right. Both British and EU

negotiators say they want the issues of the future of Europeans in the

UK, and Brits in Europe, to be one of the very first dealt with. A view

reflected here too for the Brits on the other side of the water. Gavin

Lee, BBC News, on the Costa Blanca, Spain.

Lovely weather there. I wonder what we have in store here? Is it Costa

Blanca or something completely different?

Definitely not, something a bit more like this, but some of the garden is

needed and it won't be completely drenching, but if you're heading

out, you may need to grab an umbrella or a waterproof. It is

going to be a fairly cloudy day after the sunshine of recent days.

And we're going to see a bit of rain at times. My charts aren't working,

let me hit that... There we go, my old with outbreaks of rain. Some of

the rain will be heaviest in the west. Towards eastern areas, it

doesn't want to play today, does it? Let's push this on. There we go,

there's your chart, get rid of the clicker, no use to me today. Cloudy

conditions pushing from the Atlantic and in the west we are most likely

to see rain. The rains will be light and patchy, heavy bursts in the

hills of northern England, spreading to southern Scotland. Easing off a

bit in western areas around lunchtime and getting heavier in

parts of western Wales, north-west England and southern Scotland,

moving north. South and east, not too much rain today and in Shetland

and Orkney, one of the dry spots with a bit of sunshine. Not

particularly warm in these eastern areas, temperatures only' is, but

elsewhere, milder southerly winds, already cloud and loud at times. A

bit of brightness in Northern Ireland before heavy rain arrives in

the west later on and across the hills of Cumbria, Lancashire and

across western parts of Wales, the rain turns heavier. To the south and

east, drier and brighter whether this afternoon and the highs here of

around 17, 63 in Fahrenheit. Tonight, still some rain coming and

going in the north and west, turning heavier around the Irish Sea later

on. Note the temperatures into tomorrow morning, holding up in

double figures for just about all. That milder air comes on southerly

winds and they will push the temperature even further,

particularly towards the eastern part of England tomorrow, we could

see highs of around 21 or 22, that pushes us into the 70s in

Fahrenheit. A few early showers tomorrow then dry with sunny spells.

Like today in the west, cloudy, outbreaks of rain, the heaviest and

most persistent in parts of western Wales, north-west England and

southern Scotland. The rain turning heavier still into Friday, some

eastern areas stay dry, sunny and warm. I'll have to go and fix back

clicker now! Is your computer all right, Matthew? It is playing games

with me today. I think I have broken it. -- that clicker. He has writes

with technology as well! More from Matt and later on in the programme

that he has fights. Steph thought it would be good to

travel up and down the A50 this week. Today she is at Stoke-on-Trent

to find out what Rex it's means for business.

-- Brexit. Good morning! I am at a pottery factory near Stoke. It is

fascinating watching the pattern come out, it will be put on lots of

different ceramics. This is a business which makes something like

300,000 pieces every year. They exported about a quarter of this

stuff and about half of that is going to the European Union. So they

are wondering what this will all mean for them when we leave. What

kind of trade deals could be see? Of course it isn't just the ceramics

industry that is wondering about this, but lots of different sectors.

Graham Satchell has met some farmers in Cumbria to talk to them about it.

New life on this person's farm in Cumbria. Rachel voted to leave the

EU as she wanted a new start. Once we kind of come out and break free,

it is the ability to mould the regulations and applying things a

lot smarter than it has been done before. Specifically tailor it to

the UK's needs as well. It is a really exciting time. Obviously

quite concerning as well, if things don't go right, but we will just

have to see what happens. For the last 40 years or so farming and food

has been effectively run from Brussels. Food safety, labelling,

subsidies and of course free trade. He ago. Rachel is meeting Greg

Dalton from the national sheep associations. He is pushing the

government hard to maintain Britain's current trade deals with

the EU. It is massively important to the sheep industry. We exported up

to 40% of our lamb to the EU and if we were to lose something like that

market I fear it would almost collapsed the sheep industry in the

UK. Collapsed the sheep industry. The stakes are high and this is just

one sector. On a beautiful spring day like this in Cumbria, the last

thing you really want to think about is the labyrinthine complexity of

food policy and the EU. But it is complicated. It isn't just about

price and trade and tariffs and deals, it's about the environment,

subsidies, soil, sustainability, it's about everything.

Well, maybe not everything, but it is about teachers. Tins, fresh and

dry, where we get them from and how much they cost. In my childhood in

the 1950s he basically got peaches out of tins. We've got them the last

40 years from the southern Mediterranean, where they grow, and

they are with us within 48 hours. That's all essentially now at risk.

We don't know where we will get it from, or will we just pay more for

it? That's the most likely. We import nearly 30% of our food from

Europe. If there is no deal in two years, tariffs will be more

expensive. Are we really going back to a world of tinned peaches? Back

on the farm, Rachel is up it about the future. There's huge

opportunity. America is a huge potential market. But first and

foremost, I think within the UK we really need to be promoting lamb to

the British consumer. There will be other markets to explore and we

might end up buying more British produce, but today, as Article 50 is

triggered, there are big questions, uncertainties and not many answers.

As you heard, lots of businesses who want answers on what Brexit will

mean for them. Not least this industry, the ceramic industry. Once

these have gone through the dishwashing process and the glazing

machine, you can see what colour they become. Dean owns the business.

Have you thought about what impact Brexit could have on your business?

Obviously most businesses don't like uncertainty because it makes things

hard to plan. We are cautiously optimistic about the process. We've

got a fantastic handmade product and 200 years of history. It really

sells well over in the far east particularly, the USA, so we are

optimistic, but we need to make sure the free trade agreements that we

currently enjoy, specifically with countries like South Korea and the

EU, we need to make sure those free trade agreements or the equivalent

are maintained. How important is trade with the EU at the moment for

your business? This particular pottery, we are about 25% export, of

which half is to be -- to the EU. What would you like to see in terms

of free trade? Free trade between the UK and most markets, obviously

trying to get a US free trade deal sooner rather than later would be

good for the industry as a whole. If we could enjoy some kind of trade

deal with the EU, similar to what we have in place now, that would be

very useful, but also to concentrate on some of the key markets that we

are looking to export to. Will you be pushing to try to get more

business outside of the EU because of this? I think we've already

enjoyed over the past four or five years a lot of far east growth.

That's something we will continue to do, regardless of what happens with

free trade deals. The product really sells well, his tree, the

providence, everything you can see. The handmade nature of the product.

It is a real selling point. Had he benefited from the weaker pound? We

have. The flipside is we buy in a lot of raw materials from Europe and

outside Europe and we are seeing the inflator we effect of that. So it

isn't all positive on the current market. Thanks very much. Let's have

a quick chat with Agro three. You've done some research on this and

spoken to a lot of your members about what this means. -- chat to

Leslie. Our members are being up it but I think businesses will find a

way no matter what happens. They would rather we stayed in and stayed

with the same trade agreements as was, not just on a political level

but on getting your goods to market. For instance, the ceramics we are

looking at, if you send something over to the US it will incur 40%

duty. Then it will have its local tax and it is beginning to make

things uncompetitive. -- 14%. South America includes freight and

insurance on the total cost of that tariff as well. It varies and

ceramics go from 6% to 20% and that range can be crippling if you are in

the market place. I know we will be talking to you throughout the

programmes on this. If anyone has any questions, how it might affect

your business, get in touch and we will try to have it answered by the

people you -- we have with us this morning. This is really mesmerising.

I keep interrupting Jackie to ask questions.

They are absolutely lovely. Thank you, Steph. See you later.

Brexit is obviously our main story this morning.

The letter is on its way to Brussels. On top of that.

Aside from all of that. Yes.

How much do you love your pet, and what boundaries do you set

I love my pet but that doesn't mean she can sleep in the bed.

Boundaries! According to a new survey,

nearly half of British dog and cat owners let their pets sleep

in their bed with them, while others are happy

to let their animal eat A third have even admitted

to regularly finding animal hairs We went to a vets' waiting

room to see how some She normally sleeps on my bed when

either I've been able to... Successfully tidy my room, because

sometimes my mum is like, you can't stay on my bed! She loves cuddling

up to us at night and I like sleeping with her as well. Yeah, it

gives you that closeness to your pet. Yes, he sleeps with money every

night and so does his big brother. -- mummy. Yes, I do believe pets

should be allowed to curl up with you at night and in the evenings. As

long as they are regularly wormed and de-flead, they are parasite free

and clean, personally I don't have an issue with that. My dog Tilly

does sleep with me in my bed. Obviously we tell children that

these should wash their hands after they have touched pets and they

don't allow them to lick, especially around the face.

You've been sending us photos of what your pets get up

Pat from Bristol says seven-year-old Frankie the miniature

dachshund is definitely one of the family and sleeps

Reggie the Cornish cat leaves owner Amy on the edge of the bed.

And finally we've got Ebby the rescue black labrador.

She's only allowed on the bed when the quilt is on.

But at night she has to sleep in her own basket outside

Thanks for all of the comments you are sending in. Some people have

strict boundaries about where pets are allowed in the house.

Shall we read them later? Yes, let's read them later. How do you sleep

when there is a pet on the bed? Time now to get the news,

travel and weather where you are. Plenty more on our website

at the usual address. Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin. A moment of history as Theresa May

signs the letter that tells the EU The letter will be hand-delivered

to Brussels this lunchtime. The Prime Minister will tell MPs

it's now time for the country As the government gets ready

for two years of talks, members of the cabinet will meet

at Downing Street this morning. We'll hear from British people

at home and abroad. I don't like being dictated

to by bureaucrats in Brussels. I'm not very happy

with the immigration I worry mainly for my healthcare

and I worry about my pension and I also worry that we'll be

losing many, many friends. Exporting to the EU is big

business for this pottery. As part of my tour along

the A50 I will find out what they want to see

from trade deals Good morning, it's Wednesday

the 29th of March. A former employer of the Westminster

killer Khalid Masood tells the BBC was motivated by religious

extremism. His period in Luton and before,

he wasn't a radical. In prison, in Saudi Arabia

and in the period he spent in Luton. If he was I definitely would have

identified those signs. In sport, Great Britain will be

without Andy Murray as they take A man paralysed from the neck down

uses his hand for the first time in almost a decade with the help of

thought control. In sport, Great Britain will be

without Andy Murray as they take on France in the Davis Cup

quarter finals next week. We swap the sunny skies for cloudy

ones today. A bit of rain at times, particularly in the west, not cold

and certainly won't be tomorrow in eastern England, we could see highs

of 22. Details of that coming up. Theresa May has signed the letter

that will formally begin the UK's The letter will be delivered

by hand to the President of the European Council Donald Tusk

at 12:30pm this lunchtime. At the same time, the Prime Minister

will make a statement to the Commons in which she'll urge the country

to come together as it embarks Our political correspondent

Carol Walker is in Downing Street. That's where the Cabinet

will meet this morning. It is an historic day because the

process today will affect our lives and our laws for decades to come.

Later this morning the Prime Minister will deliver that letter to

the president of the EU council, Donald Tusk. We saw those pictures

of her last night sitting in Downing Street signing the letter. We know

it is six or seven pages long, setting out the principles, the

government's negotiating stance, much of it I think will be familiar

from some of the big speeches she has made on this in the past but we

will look at it very closely indeed to see if there are any clues as to

what the government will do about contentious issues such as

immigration and, for example, whether or not the UK is prepared to

pay some sort of bill to the EU as we leave. But, for the time being,

Downing Street asked wresting the need for unity. In a statement

released last night, the Prime Minister talked of her fierce

determination to try to get a deal that works for everyone and of the

need for everyone to come together. She knows of course that there are

deep divisions, that there are people who have very different ideas

of what they want from this process. And certainly those two years of

negotiations are going to be very tough indeed. But let's just take a

look at how we reached this point with our political correspondent

Alex Forsyth. first signed up to the then European

Community. Today those years of membership

will start to come to an end. David Cameron's promised back

in 2013 was key in getting He said that Britain would get

to choose whether to stay in or leave the European Union,

hoping to end years of debate It is time for the British

people to have their say. It is time for us to settle this

question about Britain and Europe. So last year, politicians

of all persuasions took to Britain's streets, making the case

for Leave and Remain. The British people have

spoken and the answer For others, contemplation,

even devastation. I think that the country requires

fresh leadership to take it The new Prime Minister pledged

from the start to honour Brexit memes Brexit,

and we're going to make And that process will begin

in earnest today with a letter sent from here to Brussels formally

saying the UK wants to leave the EU. Then some two years of negotiations

will follow with a whole host Everything from the rights of EU

citizens living here and elsewhere to Britain's financial

commitments to the EU And there are decades of EU

legislation and regulations that The process of leaving

is unprecedented. It will be complex

and at times uncertain. There will be challenges

and opportunities. And with the Prime Minister's

signature on this letter, In just an hour's time the Prime

Minister will be briefing the Cabinet on the contents of that

paper, that letter, which are Ambassador to the will be delivering

at lunchtime today. We've already seen the Chancellor, Philip Hammond,

this morning -- which her. The government has made clear one of the

first issues it wants to resolve is that of EU nationals in this country

and British citizens across the EU. That is one of the issues they want

to settle soon. But if you wanted a reminder of how difficult this is

going to be, there's already a disagreement about the way the talks

will proceed. Ministers want to talk about the future trading

relationship at the same time as the terms of departure. The EU says we

have to talk about the terms of withdrawal before they even begin to

talk about trade. And if they can't even begin to agree on the form of

negotiations, that shows you quite how tough the next two years are

going to be. Throughout the morning we'll hear

from politicians who backed Brexit, and those who campaigned to Remain,

as well as speaking to our correspondents around

the UK and Europe. Nick Clegg coming up in just a few

minutes, he will be the first of those.

Commemorative events are taking place this afternoon to remember

in the Westminster attack a week ago.

Khalid Masood ran over and killed three pedestrians

on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman to death

Inquests into his victims' deaths will also begin today.

The former boss of the language school in Luton where

the Westminster attacker Khalid Masood taught for two years

has told the BBC that he doesn't believe the attack was motivated

The man, who wishes to remain anonymous,

has not seen Masood since 2012, but says he wouldn't have

believed him to be capable of such violence.

Khalid Masood, who killed and caused horrific injuries.

A man who here in Luton taught English as a foreign language.

Funny, intelligent, popular, how his former boss,

Farasat, who didn't want to show his face, described him.

It took me about a day for it to dawn on me

that it was actually him that committed the crime.

I was bewildered, shocked, angry, in disbelief really,

I only knew him in the office environment.

He'd come in, he would teach, pop into my office for a cup

He spoke a little bit about his past, his transition to Islam.

Farasat told me Masood prayed during his lunch hour.

A practising Muslim but he wasn't an extremist.

His period in Luton and before, he wasn't a radical.

In prison, in Saudi Arabia and the period he spent in Luton.

If he was I definitely would have identified those signs.

Once again a town defending itself against links to terrorism,

but if Masood was radicalised, prominent voices within this

President Trump has signed a new executive order to rip up

measures put in place by Barack Obama to curb global warming.

He's ended numerous restrictions on the coal industry,

and promised that more jobs would be created as a result.

Environmental campaigners say they will fight the move in court.

Our North America editor Jon Sopel reports.

The coal the industry was beginning to look like an endangered species

in the US under Barack Obama but if President Trump has his way

coal will soon be king again and today he signed a raft

of measures reversing the policies of his predecessor.

My administration is putting an end to the war on coal,

we're going to have clean coal, really clean coal.

With today's executive action I'm taking historic steps to lift

the restrictions on American energy, to reverse government intrusion

and to cancel job-killing regulations.

This is Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, a town that voted overwhelmingly

for Donald Trump last November, in part down to his pledge

to overturn Obama-era pledges on energy.

The colliery here shut down a year ago.

Today there's growing confidence their industry might

As of right now, money is picking back up, they do believe mining

is going to pick up and they are going to get their jobs back.

Around this area, mining is picking back up.

But environmental campaigners are aghast and wonder where it

leaves the Paris limate change agreement that President Obama

committed the US to in December, 2015.

If Mr Trump does not honour the Paris deal,

he would join a very small club that includes Syria,

The President wants oil men to be able to drill and miners to be able

to dig, but the reason so many pits shut down wasn't

because of regulation, it was because they'd become

uneconomic as consumers moved to cheaper, cleaner forms of fuel.

It's hard to see how the signing of an executive order changes that.

Prepare yourself to see something that might make you feel a little

bit dizzy! This is 18-year-old Swiss

skier Andri Ragettli and he is about to spin round five

times and backflip four times over The first time anyone

has ever done it. It's a little baffling

the first time round so here You can see the drone. Like Kiki

missed the drone! -- lucky he. As we've been hearing this morning,

Theresa May has officially begun But what can we expect

over the next two years, EU leaders will meet next

month and it's expected they will then publish

their guidelines for how The official negotiations

are set to begin Then, after months of meetings

between the UK and EU officials, it's hoped a deal will be

finalised by the end If the timetable goes to plan,

the UK will withdraw However, the two-year window can be

extended if all the other 27 members If a deal is reached earlier,

the UK can leave before the two We promise you we will be speaking

to many on both sides of this debate.

We can speak now to former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

The campaign if you remember for us to remain in the EU. Good morning

and thank you for your time this morning.

You have spoken a lot about the UK prospects of getting a deal with the

EU. In one of those interviews you used the word impossible. Isn't

today a day to talk about the possible rather than the impossible?

It is for the government of course, and for the Brexiteers who promised

us ?350 million a week for the NHS, an effortless negotiation and lots

of new trade deals and an economic paradise, of course they need to

talk up those possibilities but I think those of us who hold the

government to account also need to explain that some of those

commitments after the unrealistic and I really don't know anyone close

to the talks, including people in the heart of government, think that

it will be possible in a short space of time, not just to conclude the

divorce terms, the money and the pensions and so on, not just to

conclude a new free trade agreement, a new security arrangement, a new

cooperation on the environment and things like that, but also to have

it all ratified by 27 other parliaments across the European

Union, including our own. I don't think anyone thinks that is really

remotely possible. We were hearing from Carol Walker a few moments ago,

not too far away from you outside Number 10 this morning, talking

about the difficulty of whether you talk about terms first or trade, do

you do them together at the same time, or is it separate

negotiations. International trade is one of your areas of expertise. If

you were in charge, where would you start those negotiations and where

should Theresa May start? I think this is a classic early skirmish

that the UK government is saying we want to negotiate in parallel, how

we remove ourselves from the European Union, as I said, that will

involve an early debate, and probably a rather brochure is one

about money, and then we also want to talk about our future

relationship with the EU and the EU is saying the reverse, they only

want to talk about the money first before they move on to the future

relationship -- ferocious. I suspect in the summer they will find a way

to approach this and there will be some way of holding these talks in

parallel. I don't think that will be a dealbreaker. I think the thing

that will be more difficult to resolve is actually a self-inflicted

problem, which is that such high expectations have been raised about

what we can G in these Brexit talks. You know, you will remember we were

told we were going to get a whole new array of trade agreements even

before the two years is up -- can achieve. We were told we were going

to get, these are the words of David Davis, the exact same benefits from

the single market even as we leave the single market. I don't think

those things are possible. I think the difficulty is that Theresa May

is under immense pressure to deliver on expectations which are just not

practical or deliverable. And I don't know how people are going to

react when they see the gap, and I think it will be a significant gap

between what they've been told to expect from Brexit and what it's

actually likely to deliver. In that in mind will there be a scenario of

a leading of the EU without a deal in place? They'll stamp their feet

and say if we do get exactly what we want we will flounce. There is quite

a lot of pressure building up in the Conservative Party in parts of the

Brexit press to tear the holding up. Nigel Lawson, for instance, says

there is no point having a deal at all. Iain Duncan Smith echoes that.

I think they know deal outcome is the very worst outcome for the UK

and would create unprecedented economic and legal uncertainty and

would jeopardise the British economy in quite a big way. Citing that huge

risk not worth taking. But there is clearly a lot of people who are

agitating for that to happen. Good to talk to you, thank you for your

time. Let's get another point of view.

Inside our studio in Westminster is the Conservative MP

Bernard Jenkin, who was a key figure in the Vote Leave campaign.

Good morning. Let's pick up some of those thoughts from Nick Clegg. Are

expectations too high? I think Nick Clegg is doing his best to reduce

expectations and I think he is right on a lot of points. We have to be

realistic. The idea of having a fully comprehensive trade deal with

the EU after two years is a big stretch. Not because we can't

negotiate that, it is because the EU seems to be determined to redirects

trade barriers when the rest of the world is trying to bring them down,

which is one of the reasons why we are leaving the EU, because they are

either pursuing the wrong policy are incapable of making sensible

decision that Irene everybody's economic interests. But of course

there will be agreement on things like Customs facilitation is. There

will be memorandums of understanding so we can agree on things like what

a car is and what standards it applies. There in mind. All of the

standards in our economy are the same as the EU. So it shouldn't be

impossible to agree on a very basic things that the EU agrees with every

other country around the world, even if it doesn't have a comprehensive

trade agreement. You referred to herself as a big stretch. Are you

not concerned about the possible impact on industry and trade? Well,

obviously it will be a negative for the British economy and for the

European economy if tariffs are applied. But if they apply tariffs

to our exports and if they refuse to for example to mutual recognition

of... In financial services, actually the EU will be

disadvantaging itself just as much as our economy and I don't think it

would last long because of calls over time we would do a free trade

deal. And it wouldn't necessarily be that disadvantage is to us, because

the British government would raise billions of pounds from the import

tariffs on EU imports to the UK that we don't collect at the moment and

we could spend that money on British industry, promoting investment,

making it easier to employ people, improving training and development,

attracting would-be investment, reducing taxes. Could make this

economy very competitive indeed. Are you saying that no deal is better

than a bad deal? Let's be clear, there will be agreement about basic

things. For example, we aren't trying to deal on security. Our

security cooperation with the rest of the EU is unconditional. We are

all against terrorism and will continue working. There will be a

deal on EU citizens. I have no doubt about that. Because the EU will want

to secure the rights of EU citizens in the UK, just as we want to secure

the rights of EU citizens... UK citizens in EU. There will be

agreement on things like aviation services. We won't wake up the

morning after we leave and find that planes leaving from Heathrow can't

land in Paris. The disaster scenario as painted I people like Nick Clegg

are just ridiculous and won't happen. There in mind, 97% of the

container traffic that comes in from outside the EU isn't even stopped

and checked. That's because we have sensible customs clearing. The EU

has sensible customs clearance agreements with other countries

around the world, even if they don't have a free-trade agreement, like

with the US, for example. One last question. We know the Prime Minister

will say today that she will represent everybody in the whole UK,

young, poor, city, town, country and all of the cities and hamlets in

between. Isn't that to please everyone and isn't that an

impossible task? That isn't a promise to make everyone happy,

that's a promise on her part a sense of responsibility, a sense of her

commitment. I don't think people will disrespect to for striving to

do very sincerely what is right for the whole country. She isn't leading

faction. Remember, she was for Remain. She is representing the vast

majority of responsible Remain voters, who accept the results and

want to make the very best of it and are getting to see big opportunities

for this country. Thank you very much for your time.

Here's Matt with a look at this morning's weather.

Good morning. Good morning. It is a lot colder.

For degrees in the north of Scotland. 11 degrees on the south

coast. You will notice the blue skies this morning and there will be

some rain around at times. Not a washout and there will still be

brighter moments. Let's have a look at the skies above the UK. The

clearest conditions across Europe at the moment, but thicker cloud is

pushing in from the west. That will bring rain. Damp in north-west

England and the Midlands. That will work its way in the north-east and

southern Scotland. Rain will get heavier in the afternoon in other

western areas. Away from that, some breaks in the cloud and some

sunshine. The best in Orkney and Shetland. Staying dry during

daylight hours, but temperatures still 5-7 in the north-east.

Elsewhere, double figures. Outbreaks of rain more abundant into Scotland

for the afternoon. Northern Ireland will probably see where the spell is

about lunchtime. Bright skies for a time and heavy rain towards the

evening rush-hour. Staying down in Lancashire and Cumbria. Patchy rain

and drizzle in the Midlands, England. Southern and south-eastern

England will be dry this afternoon, with some sunshine around. Highs of

about 17. Tonight we still have rain coming and going through the night.

Eventually that pushes towards the likes of Shetland. More heavy rain

into the Irish Sea later. Temperatures holding in double

figures. A mild start Thursday. A wind coming from the south. Today

there will be a bit of a breeze. With the southerly wind temperatures

could be boosted up to about 21- 22 across some parts of eastern

England. Mild anywhere we have the cloud. We start with showers in the

south-east. Then sunny spells for the rest of the day. The rest of the

UK, lots of cloud and outbreaks of rain. Heaviest on the heels of

north-west England and Wales. The rain on Western -- on Friday in

western areas get heavier. Temperatures holding up in the

teens, up to 90 degrees in eastern parts of England, where it should

stay dry and sunny. Through the weekend we have a change of

conditions. We swap the low pressure for high pressure. That means if

you've got your weekend planned there could still be dry weather

around. Saturday will be the cloudy day, as rain pushes eastwards.

Heavier and persistent burst in Scotland. A chilly start to Sunday,

but it will be the driest day of the weekend, with sunshine for many.

Thank you! An American man who was paralysed from the shoulders down

has been able to feed himself and hold onto a cup of copy after

surgeons placed in plant in his brain and his arm. Bill had

paralysis in all four of his limbs after his bicycle ploughed into the

back of a lorry. Lo and behold, I was able to eat

the mashed potatoes really well. 58-year-old Bill Kochevar

was paralysed from the shoulders down after a cycling

accident eight years ago. I was following a mail truck

and I was keeping my distance pretty good but then it stopped to deliver

a package and I ran right Bill was left totally dependent

but determined his life didn't end there, he signed himself up

for medical research in Ohio. My father said, "You

really want to do this?" I said yes, somebody

has to do research. If nobody does research,

things don't get done. Sensors were placed

in the part of his brain that They send messages to the 36

muscle-stimulating electrodes that We've bridged his

spinal cord injury. He can now think about moving his

arm and his arm moves. I can move it in and

out, up and down. I get to be the first one

in the world to do it. Bill is the only person to use

the new experimental technology, But the medical journal the Lancet

said it's a major advance. Doctors acknowledge this has some

way to go before it is clinically accepted but said it

could eventually transform the lives I'm still wild every

time I do something. It's going to help out a lot more

people for years to come. What a brilliant and extraordinary

piece of technology and use of technology.

Just incredible to see the difference that has made.

Time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are.

Hello, this is Breakfast, with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

It's Wednesday morning, an important one because...

Theresa May has signed the letter that will formally begin the UK's

A picture of Theresa May signing the letter was published

It will be delivered by hand to the President

of the European Council, Donald Tusk, at 12:30pm.

The Prime Minister will chair a cabinet meeting at 10am

Later she'll make a statement to MPs, urging the country to come

together as it embarks on a momentous journey.

Let's get more about the letter itself with Dan Johnson.

He is outside the residence of the UK Ambassador

We still don't, the ambassador has left here, got in his official Jag

and is now driving towards Brussels but it didn't look like he had

anything in his hand, we don't know if he has it with him or if he is

taking it from his office to take it to the Council President Donald Tusk

later around lunchtime. The moment he hands that over will be the time

the clock starts ticking on Britain's exit from the EU, two

years from the moment that letter from Theresa May is given to the EU

to negotiate exactly what our new relationship will be. For some today

the focus will be on the complexes the those negotiations, the immense

detail that's got to be worked out over the next two years --

complexity. Some people don't think it can be done in that time. There's

a lot of difficulty and disagreement ahead but for others today will be

about the excitement of finding a new relationship with the EU and

Britain in the world, a chance to claw back some powers from brussels,

the EU, back to Westminster to decide how to spend that money we've

been spending with the EU for the last 40 years. Are not odd European

politicians are sad about what has happened today and they say they

regret the decision -- a lot. -- a lot of. They say they will try to

hammer out a deal over the next two years. They say practically nothing

will really change for the next two years but there's a big difference

starting today in the relationship between Britain and the EU. Dan,

thanks bromance. -- thanks very much.

Commemorative events are taking place this afternoon to remember

those killed and injured in the Westminster attack

Khalid Masood ran over and killed three pedestrians

on Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman to death

Inquests into his victims' deaths will also begin today.

President Trump has signed a new executive order to rip up

measures put in place by Barack Obama to curb global warming.

He's ended numerous restrictions on the coal industry,

and promised that more jobs would be created as a result.

Environmental campaigners say they will fight the move in court.

The British wife of the French presidential candidate

Francois Fillon has been placed under investigation over claims

that she was paid by her husband for work she didn't do.

Penelope Fillon is being investigated in connection

with her role as her husband's parliamentary assistant.

The scandal is thought to have seriously harmed her husband's

chances of becoming the next French President.

Golfers are used to hitting birdies, albatrosses and eagles but not

This alligator interrupted a golf tournament in South Carolina

by walking across the course as players watched on.

All the players managed to jump into their buggies and drive off.

When we showed you this earlier, somebody said there is a chunk taken

out of the alligator's tail. If that's a big guy, and imagine

there's a bigger one out there who has had a nipple out of his tail.

Remind me not to go and play golf there ever! -- nibble. Look at the

size of that. Is it just alligators or snakes you have a thing about? It

is just alligators. What is it? My brother had a narrow escape. There's

a story there! It isn't just a completely unfounded thing. You are

smiling through the fear. He's fine, though! That is good news!

Speaking of injuries, Andy Murray, injured, not fine at the moment, he

has a tear in the muscle in his elbow, out of the Davis Cup, he will

be desperate to get back because he has so many world ranking points to

defend over the next few months as it gets into summer and French Open

and Wimbledon time, to defend the number one spot and to hang onto it

to be the best player in the world for even longer will be very

important for him. Good morning, everybody.

Great Britain's Davis Cup captain Leon Smith says no Andy Murray

is a big loss to the team ahead of next week's

He has a tear in his elbow and needs to rest but no decision

has been made yet about when he'll return.

Kyle Edmund, Dan Evans, Jamie Murray and Dom Inglot

will head to Rouen without the world number one

He'll get back quickly because he's a healthy and robust guy,

but at the same time he knows he can't just rush these things.

The next thing in the diary will be Monte Carlo Masters series events,

It's a shame but we've shown before that our team can do stuff

It just makes it obviously a lot more difficult.

But I know the rest of the guys who are there will be giving

One other bit of British tennis news and the number one female player,

Johanna Konta, plays third seed Simona Halep later today

in the quarter-finals of the Miami Open

You can follow that one across the BBC.

Liverpool could be without midfielder Adam Lallana for up

He injured his thigh while on international

Lallana played in Sunday's win over Lithuania as well as last

It's thought he could miss five games starting

with the Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday.

The Republic of Ireland's 15-game home unbeaten run ended last night

Meanwhile, the ref had some help in the friendly between France

and Antoine Griezmann thought he'd put France 1-0 up but the video

Gerard Deulofeu scored Spain's second,

he was flagged offside, but the video was checked

And in the last couple of hours or so, Brazil became the first

country to qualify for next year's World Cup

as they went through with four games to spare after Uruguay's

England women's head coach Mark Sampson says form isn't

a priority at this stage after deciding to name his squad

for the European Championship more than three months

He'll confirm the list of names on Monday, to take away

any uncertainty among the players

They're looking to build on their third-place finish

at the World Cup in Canada two years ago.

We'll go into this tournament with the mindset we can win this

We need to win six games, that's what tournament football

is about, winning tournament matches and dealing

We've experienced the tournament in Canada, some real big highs

and some real big lows, and that experience will be

Sale Sharks winger Denny Solomona said he had the support

of his family and coach after declaring himself available

Solomona represented Samoa in rugby league and was playing

for Castleford in Super League when he controversially switched

after completing his three-year residency.

Scotland rugby union captain Greig Laidlaw says he hopes to be

back playing in three or four weeks.

Laidlaw missed most of the 6 Nations campaign after injuring his

Next month Warren Gatland will name his British

and Irish Lions squad for the New Zealand tour and Laidlaw

believes a number of Scots have a great chance

The Scottish players are in with as much of a shout

as any other players to be honest with you.

I felt through the Championship we were probably consistently fairly

You know, individually there were some strong performances.

We'll need a strong squad to go down to New Zealand,

it's the best place to go in the world to play rugby,

a very proud nation and it's going to be a tough tour

for the players given the privilege to represent the Lions.

Finally a bit of automotive gymnastics coming up for you!

a monster truck driver became the first in the sport's history

to pull off a front flip at the Monster Jam World Finals.

Lee O'Donnell, nicknamed the Mad Scientist,

and surprise of the crowd in Las Vegas.

I don't know about you, I get travel sick in the backseat of a taxi. I

hope he is strapped in! I think he probably is, Dan! That will be his

first and his last front flip! If he had any milk in the back it would

have been an absolute disaster! wants to be met before it backs any

Brexit deal. Theresa May has signed a letter

today, on the way to Brussels, it will be handed over to Donald Tusk

at around 12:30pm. Let's talk to the party's shadow

Brexit Secretary Sir Kier Starmer, who's outside

the Houses of Parliament. Good morning to you and thank you

very much bought coming on the programme. Not at all, important

date. It is, lots of coverage today on Breakfast. -- important day. We

know Article 50 will be triggered today so there is an important role

for Labour to scrutinise what will happen over the next few months and

years, is the party up to the job? Absolutely, the discussion so far

has been about whether Article 50 should be triggered, we now move on

to what will be the right deal for the Prime Minister to negotiate and

if he satisfies those tests she will have achieved the right deal for our

country. There's real unity about the tests, they are tough and

intended to be in the national interest and at their heart is a

belief that although we can't be members of the European Union

because of the referendum result, which we respect, we want an ongoing

collaborative partnership with our EU partners so we can have a proper

trading arrangements but more than that, there's so much brilliant work

going on in science, medicine and technology that we have done

collaboratively, we don't want to lose that, and of course we don't

want to lose corporation in terms of security and counterterrorism. We

have set out six tests and we intend to hold the government to those

tests over the next two years. This isn't just about party politics,

it's about the national interest. What will be negotiated now is going

to be relevant for at least a generation. Can I ask you about the

first of those six tests, it shed any deals should be delivering

identical benefits to what we have now -- it says. Surely that's not

realistic? That test is taken directly from David Davis's

commitment in the House of Commons. He's of course the Secretary of

State for exiting the EU. He has said through the arrangements they

intend to negotiate, he will be able to deliver precisely the same

benefits as we currently have from membership of the single market and

the customs union. For businesses, working people and trade unions,

that matters. He's made that commitment and so in our tests,

having made that commitment you would expect us to hold you to it.

It's a very important commitment. You called it a momentous day, and I

ask you, one of the criticisms levelled at the Labour Party, these

negotiations are going to be crucial and perhaps the divining moment of

Theresa May's leadership of this country -- can I ask you. Where has

the Les Deux Lieber been on these issues, why hasn't Jeremy Corbyn

been more visible on this in your own words momentous occasion --

Labour Party being. We set out our six tests on Monday and all of us

have done a good deal of media and a good deal of work in the House, I

was in Brussels and I was in Berlin yesterday, we're not working just

here but across the UK and Europe. I didn't ask you about what you've

been doing, it's about what Jeremy Corbyn has been doing. It's not just

about understanding the position in the UK, it's about understanding

what our EU partners want to achieve out of the process and that's why I

was in Berlin yesterday, trying to get a better sense of how we can

influence and shape the future. The Labour Party's role is I think of

course as the opposition to push and prod the government and hold them to

account, but the party politics has to be in conjunction with a

commitment to insure that in the national interest we get the right

deal for our country. Icy the Opposition playing both those roles.

Surely at this moment, the next two years, I understand you're going to

challenge the government, but this goes beyond party politics.

Hopefully you can still hear me. Will you be able to work with the

Conservative Party so the UK can get the best deal? Were you able to hear

that question? I think we have lost him. Apologies for that. I wonder

what the answer to that would have been. He definitely can't hear us,

we have lost Keir Starmer on college Green but we will have more reaction

and response to the triggering of Article 50 through the programme for

you. Meanwhile we are going to talk about something completely

different. Conservationists say they've found

a new breeding population of the critically endangered

Indochinese tiger, leading to hopes they may be recovering

from the brink of extinction. They've been captured

on camera with cubs, in the jungles of Thailand,

for the first time in over 15 years. Let's find out more

from Chris Hallam who has been working on the project

in eastern Thailand, What a wonderful story. Tell me what

you've found. It really is quite an extraordinary victory for tigers

globally, especially for this population in Thailand. We are

talking about a population globally that was at about 100,000 100 years

ago and we are down to about 400. This subspecies is very endangered.

Before this survey we were looking at only one other breeding

population in the west of Thailand, so to have this second breeding

population confirmed is really a great victory for tigers. I

understand you caught pictures of the cubs, is that what was the key

moment? Exactly. That was especially exciting. When you get the camera

trap pictures they are exciting anyway, because you are trying to

find tigers and which one is which, using the stripes to try to identify

individuals and work out where they are moving around the survey area.

To find cubs within that is especially exciting, because it

obviously confirms that that population is breeding and managing

to persist in the area, so really great news for Thailand. All of our

site partners, including the government of Thailand, has been

working in that area, though it is nice to have it pay. What has paid

off? Presumably there are lessons other conservationists can learn?

Absolutely. I think the main intervention I guess that the

government of Thailand has been working on it some fairly strict

site-based security. So increasing boots on the ground, ranger patrols,

et cetera. We are talking about some serious threats to tigers in the

area and across their range, the main threat is actually poaching the

individuals themselves for traditional Chinese medicine. And

poaching of their prey. So throughout their range that is the

main threat. So bolstering those efforts in Thailand, in this area,

has really enabled I think that population to at least persist in

the area. Tell us about the moment when you saw those pubs. Were you

just amazed? -- cubs. What was it like? Seeing cubs on the pictures is

a moment to celebrate. It's actually, yeah, you see them and you

go, fantastic! That's what we're doing this for. We want the

populations to breed and sustain themselves. It's globally only about

8% of tiger populations in the wild are confident breeding populations,

so to have this one added is really a bonus. It is a bone -- owners in

Thailand as well because it makes an insurance policy for the breeding

population in the western forest complex. There is another one in the

east. It also means that if we can continue the breeding that's going

on in this eastern population, then we can sort of have that disburse

out into other areas. it is wonderful seeing those pictures that

we are looking at why we talk to you. Thanks very much.

What a beautiful backdrop as well. Every single time we go to the

weather we see something beautiful! Good morning. Good morning. After

the blue skies of recent days the sky colour of choice this morning is

a bit more like this shot from ever Vale a short time ago. Especially

grey and down in a couple of spots. For most it isn't cold and