28/02/2018 Breakfast

Hello this is Breakfast,

with Louise Minchin and Dan Walker.

More cold weather sweeps

the UK as the "beast

from the east" tightens its grip.

Drivers and rail users are facing

more disruption this morning

with warnings there's worse

on the way.

This morning there is ice on the

roads to content with, it is a

bitterly cold start. Some of us will

not see much snow, but some of us

will see a lot. The Met Office has

put out Amber warning areas again

with 10-15 centimetres falling, some

more than that. A round-up in 15

minutes. We are live in the worst

affected areas and this is the BBC's

building in London as the freezing

weather continues.

Good morning, it's Wednesday

the 28th of February.

Also this morning:

Downing Street insists there'll be

no hard border in Ireland as the EU

prepares to unveil its plan

for life after Brexit.

Today is crunch-time for one

of the most recognisable names

on the high street -

Toys R Us could go into

administration today if it doesn't

find a buyer or get the cash it

needs to pay a tax bill.

More than 3200 jobs are at risk. I

will have the details shortly.

And the ghostly sillouettes that

are appearing across the country

to mark a hundred years

since the end of the Great War.

Swansea city's manager was not born

when they last reached the FA Cup

quarterfinals. They have made it

through for the first time since

1964 thanks to victory over

Sheffield Wednesday last night.

The UK is waking up to another

morning of freezing conditions

after temperatures fell to minus ten

in some areas overnight.

The cold weather has already

caused major distruption,

but forecasters say the worst is yet

to come, with warnings

in place until the weekend.

Here's our correspondent

Jon Donnison with more.

The so-called beast from the East

has already left much of Britain

under a blanket of snow. This is

Kent, which has received some of the

worst of the weather so far. On the

ground it has been a much less

pretty picture for drivers, with the

police reporting scores of accidents

across the country. Today again

conditions on the roads are expected

to be treacherous. Weather warnings

for ice and snow are in place for

much of the UK. They are expected to

remain until the weekend. Yorkshire

and the North East have seen some of

the heaviest snowfall. With more

expected today many schools are

likely to stay close.

When I was

younger the snow was thicker and we

still manage to get to school.

I

think it is the teachers who cannot

get in. That is the problem in this

area because of the outlying

villages that the teachers come

from.

For Britain's homeless, this

is in central London, it was another

tough night, temperatures down to

-10 in some parts and feeling much

colder in the wind. The elderly also

are vulnerable. In Hull extra staff

at meals on wheels services are

being brought in to deliver hot

food.

I cannot get out to get meals

and things. So it is just wonderful.

The only complaint I have got is

they never bring you a drop of

brandy!

And over the next few days

that might be needed. Forecasters

say they expect no letup in the

freezing weather and at least the

weekend. Jon Donnison, BBC News.

Jon Donnison, BBC News.

Serious issues for lots of people

and we will be discussing the

weather throughout the programme and

we have got reported in Yorkshire

and as well. We would love to see

some of your pictures.

We will repeat that. The latest

travel news and school closures in

your area. Tune into your BBC local

radio station and you will get all

that information. We will have

weather every half an hour of cause

and we will keep you up to date with

everything. We will show you the

scenes about what is going on around

the UK.

The European Union's Chief Brexit

negotiator Michel Barnier

will outline the progress made

on negotiations later today.

The 120-page document is expected

to focus on Northern Ireland and any

possible future role

for the European Court of Justice.

The report comes just hours

after a leaked letter

from the Foreign Secretary indicated

a possible change of heart

on the issue of a hard

border with Ireland.

We will hear from Adam Flemings in

Brussels in a moment.

We will hear from Adam Flemings

in Brussels in a moment.

We can speak now to the BBC's

Political Correspondent Eleanor

Garnier in Westminster.

It is about Boris Johnson once

again.

It is and I think he thought

he was being helpful but he seems to

have put his foot in it because he

used a potentially toxic phrase. In

his letter which has been leaked to

Sky News, the Foreign Secretary says

to the Prime Minister, 95% of

traffic would still pass across the

border between the northern Ireland

and the republic and checked if

there was a hard border. It is that

last bit, if there was a hard

border, that has allowed critics to

suggest that Boris Johnson and maybe

the government

also has been considering a regime

of physical infrastructure at the

border. That is why that idea would

be a complete anathema to

Republicans, nationalists, to this

Irish government, and that is why

Downing Street moved so quickly to

save it has not changed and Theresa

May wants as frictionless and

movement as possible across the

border and they would not consider a

hard border. One of the issues put

forward is to keep Northern Ireland

alive with EU regulations. That is

something the DUP, who support

Theresa May needs, will not sign up

to. They say the government cannot

do that. The issue of the Irish

border will be the most difficult to

solve when it comes to Brexit and at

every turn it will be extremely

difficult for the Prime Minister.

extremely difficult for the Prime

Minister.

Our Europe reporter

Adam Flemming is in Brussels.

We have been discussing this for

many months now. Are we any closer

together on this?

For Brexit geeks

like me today is a bit like

Christmas morning. We are about to

unwrap the first draft of the treaty

that Theresa May will sign at one

point with a posh pen which will

take the UK out of the EU on March

2019. This document will turn the

political pledges made in December

by both sides into tight, legally

watertight language in a treaty. It

will be 120 pages, it will have

protocols and articles, it will not

be light reading. It is very

symbolic because this will be the

document that seals the deal

eventually when it is finalised. In

terms of the substance, all the

stuff Eleanor was talking about will

be important. She was talking about

full alignment in Ireland and the

Republic of Ireland and it is option

C, the least favourite option. The

question is how much detail is there

about the preferred options. Expect

a lot about the European Court of

Justice because this is the EU

negotiators version of the document

that still has to be negotiated with

the UK. There will be plenty of

areas of disagreement between them.

Good luck with your very special

Christmas present this morning!

A couple of big high street names

could be on the brink of collapse

this week with both Toys R Us

and Maplin hoping to find buyers.

Maplin employes 2500 staff and has

200 shops but has made losses

for the past few years.

Toys "R" Us employs around 3000

workers and if you go to any town or

shopping centre you will see these.

They are big names and they both

have the same problem, they owe a

lot of money and they have not got

the cash to pay off those debts.

Toys "R" Us had a deadline from

yesterday to pay a £15 million VAT

bill. They have a parent company and

they were hoping that that would

help them, or they would have to

sell the business. It looks like

neither of those options have come

to fruition. Now it is a case of

them possibly going into

administration where they would sell

off as much of the business as they

can. But that puts over 3000 jobs in

jeopardy. Toys "R" Us is a huge

business. I was talking about them

in December because they have had

problems for a while and they were

looking at restructuring the

business and they announced they

would close 26 stores to help them

get money together. But that has not

worked. Similarly at Maplin it is

the same situation. They have not

got the cash they need to be able to

pay the debts they have, so they

will also be looking at somebody who

can buy the business. They have been

in talks with various companies

about that, but it looks like

neither company is getting anywhere

in terms of being able to pay off

those debts. It is a lot of worry

for the people who work there. As

and when we get the news I will be

telling you more about that.

Public satisfaction with GP services

has fallen to the lowest

levels ever recorded,

according to a new survey.

The findings from the British

Social Attitudes survey

show people in England,

Scotland and Wales having concerns

around a lack of funding

and staff shortages.

Here's our health

correspondent Dominic Hughes.

Each working day more than a million

of us will access the NHS through

our local GP. In previous surveys of

public attitudes to the health

service they have been the most

highly rated, but the most recent

poll shows a significant fall in

satisfaction, mirroring the overall

picture of the NHS. The annual

survey shows overall satisfaction at

57% is down by 6%, the lowest since

2011. GP services, normally top of

the poll, fell by 7% to

the poll, fell by 7% to 65%, the

lowest since the survey began in

1983.

Staff shortages and a lack of

funding were two of the main reasons

people pay for being dissatisfied.

We know people are increasingly

dissatisfied with their access to

getting GP appointments and so on,

so there is something to be done. It

is not just about money to fix the

problem is, that these are the

things the public notice and care

about and it is something the

government should also notice and

care about.

Overall satisfaction

levels with the NHS are still higher

than in the 1990s and the Department

of Health and social care points out

the majority of patients are

satisfied with the NHS. But GPs say

underinvestment and a shortage of

doctors is now having an impact on

their patients.

President Trump's son-in-law

and senior adviser, Jared Kushner,

has had his security clearance

at the White House downgraded.

Having previously had a leading role

in the administration

Mr Kushner now won't be able

to view sensitive documents.

There's speculation his previous

business dealings may be the reason

for his change of status.

A supermarket in Amsterdam is

opening what it says is the world's

first plastic-free aisle.

An environmental campaign group

helped replace plastic packaging

with biodegradable materials

on around 700 products.

The company says it hopes to expand

the trial to all its 75 stores

by the end of the year.

Mel B has revealed that the Spice

Girls have been invited

to the wedding of Prince Harry

and Meghan Markle.

Appearing on a US talk show,

she declined to comment

on whether the group would be

performing at the royal

wedding in May.

The news comes after reports

that the five members of the group

reunited recently for

the first time since 2012.

That would be something. If you are

Spice Girl fan of a certain age that

is big news, that they are

re-forming, even bigger than going

to the royal wedding.

It is big news in my house.

My daughter 's estimation mark you

are over 25 years of age!

Everyone is doing their bit to deal

with the cold temperatures and

Swansea last night, they were giving

out free tea and coffee to the fans.

It was very nice. If you are making

a journey and sitting in a cold

seat, and it worked because Swansea

beat Sheffield Wednesday.

Swansea have reached the fifth

round of the FA Cup for the first

time in more than half a century.

That was before their manager Carlos

Carvalhal was born.

That was before their manager

Carlos Carvalhal was born.

They beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0

at the Liberty Stadium,

and they'll face either Tottenham

or Rochdale next, who play

their match tonight.

England are a man down after Jason

Roy went for eight, but Morgan and

there still are looking good.

there still are looking good.

Ryder Cup captain, Thomas Bjorn,

will partner Solheim Cup skipper,

Catriona Matthew, in this year's

GolfSixes tournament.

It'll be the first time women

golfers play in a men's

European Tour team event.

And cyclists Laura and Jason Kenny

are both back in action today.

They've brought their six-month-old

baby Albie with them to the Track

Cycling World Championships

in the Netherlands.

They're two of seven

Olympic champions in

the Great Britain squad.

Interesting they have opted not to

stay in the team hotel because they

have got their baby with them.

Six months is really impressive.

I am so glad. She was speaking to

Jessica Ennis-Hill about tips over

coming back after a baby.

I wonder whether she has to take the

rings off.

They flip it round and wear it on

the underside.

If they were to lose the mini

second, somebody would say, it was

the ring, you are not streamlined

enough.

Our main story is of course, what is

going on with the weather.

Here's Carol with a look

at this morning's weather.

Here's Carol with a look

at this morning's weather.

First of all, it is a bitterly cold

start to the day. Temperatures fell

to minus 11 so there is the risk of

ice on untreated surfaces. Some of

us won't see any snow at all. Some

will see a little, some will see

some sunshine but some will see some

significant snow. That is where we

have the Met Office amber be

prepared weather warnings. You can

see where they are, northern and

eastern Scotland, the central belt.

Eastern England in the direction of

Cumbria. We could see a further ten

to 15 centimetres of snow fall in

this area with the amber warning.

This one, five to ten centimetres in

some places. This expires this

morning at ten o'clock. On the

chart, it has been snowing heavily

overnight in Glasgow. Likely to see

some disruption today. We will also

see some of the snow getting over

towards the West. Through the course

of the day, as the wind comes to a

south-easterly, snowfall across

southern parts of Cornwall, Devon

and for example, Dorset. When you

add on the wind, not only will the

snow blow, it will feel cold.

Regardless of what the temperature

says on your thermometer, this is

how it will feel if you step

outside. Minus 12 is brutally cold.

In the evening and overnight period,

we continued the snow in the warning

areas in the north and east of

Scotland, central belt on southern

parts of Scotland and also

north-east England. Further south,

wintry showers blowing across the

country and the wind will pick up.

It will be a cold night.

Temperatures lower than this where

we have lying snow and in the

countryside and we could see

temperatures into minus double

figures. The risk of ice. On

Thursday, more weather warnings.

Still the same area we are looking

at today, that one is valid until

6pm on Thursday. Then we have this

new one for snow and wind coming

across Wales on southern parts of

England. This is actually what is

called storm Emma, named by the

Portuguese Met service. It is coming

in this direction so it will sweep

across France and it will be pushing

this way. As for its eastern extent,

still open to question, because it

just needs to sway a bit towards the

west or a little bit more towards

the east and the areas covered by

snow will change. What we think is

able, across the South West and

Wales, which is where we will see

the heaviest snow, there will be

blizzards as well. It will clip

potentially the capital as it

continues to push in the direction

of Northern Ireland. Elsewhere we

still have a weather warning so

there will be more snow falling

across northern and eastern

Scotland, Central Scotland and

north-east England, heading in the

direction of Cumbria. With the

strong winds, it is going to feel

more like this. Again, brutally

cold. As we head into Friday, still

connected to storm Emma, at the snow

and rain and it will continue to

advance northwards as we go through

the course of the day. So, some

disruptive snow on the cards for the

next few days anyway.

Who are going to Askew to explain

how you work out the feels like.

Great. Some warm tried to explain it

last night using the wind speed as a

multiplier and we were both a bit

confused. So we thought, we will ask

why Carol about it.

There is a picture on the front page

of the Guardian. So dramatic. The

cloud above London and snow and ice

hits the UK. The UK is set to remain

cold throughout the week.

Front page of The Times, they have a

picture of people on the Southend

seafront.

The main story for them is about

Brexit. Theresa May will warn EU

leaders not to use Brexit to break

up the UK. Also Northern Ireland

must remain in a customs union.

Daily Telegraph, Boris raises

prospect of a hard border with

Ireland. And in Clayton in West

Sussex, taming the beast is the

headline there. Some people getting

in touch with us this morning saying

it is not the beast from the east,

it is just a winter weather. It is a

media term used to spin the weather

into a bigger story. Some people, it

is affecting them badly. I was about

to say that. Sorry, I must let you

get a word in. Talking about Elton

John, apparently his late mother

handed her son a final snub by

giving a chunk of her fortune to the

PA who fuelled their feud.

Because of the weather, our demand

for gas has shot up.

Good morning everyone. The demand

for gas is set to surge to its

highest level. The bodies about that

is, where the man goes up, prices go

up. -- bad news. Talking about the

fact we're likely to see Energy

bills go up because of the pressure

from the bad weather. It is so

annoying.

Later will we be talking about that

exact thing. It is important to keep

your house is warm and I was talking

to my GP about it. It is so

expensive. But it might become

life-threatening. A minimum of 18

degrees. We said in the sport how

Swansea were keeping their fans

warmed by giving out free hot

drinks. When the snow hit the game

with Walsall, one of the players

grabbed a brush to keep the game

going, Steven Taylor. Very keen.

Going round the box so they could

see the lines and it was weather

because they won't 2-1. Now, with

contactless cards, you don't know

how much you are paying the things.

You have to check it is the right

amount.

There is a quiz in here. Do you know

how much a loaf of bread.

I know the answer because I have

cheated and looked.

70p. It is £1.06.

More expensive than you thought. I

bought a loaf of bread last week,

80p.

I didn't write this down so you can

challenge it and I don't care.

It is the average UK price.

You're putting in those artisan

loaves of bread, £8 in London.

You just take your card and lots of

people don't know.

I went to a train station in London

and saw one of those bread stall

things and I turned into my dad. It

was £5 50 for this low. How can a

loaf of bread be £5 50.

You are turning into one of them. I

know a lot of work has gone into it,

but £5 50 for a loaf of bread! Come

on.

I needed to get that off my chest.

Do stay with us this morning, we

will keep you up-to-date with what

is going on with the weather. In

other news...

The fishing industry provides

the lifeblood of many coastal

communities with the British

catch being worth nearly

a billion pounds a year.

But the government has now been

accused of dragging its heels

when it comes to explaining how

the industry will be

effected by Brexit.

As part of a day of special

coverage across the BBC,

our Scotland correspondent

Lorna Gordon has been to Shetland -

home to one of the EU's

richest fishing grounds.

In the low winter sun

off Shetland, the crew

of the Guardian Angel

are heading home.

The waters here can be

unforgiving, but this has been

a good few days at sea.

The skipper of this trawler

voted to leave the EU.

He believes decisions on who can

fish here should be made

much closer to home.

Out on the deep edge,

the Shetland area, you have got

the foreign vessels coming up

and down and there are plundering

the stocks all the time.

It's not a good feeling

when you see that there,

taking the stocks from out

in front of you.

How does it make you feel?

I just feel bad.

It is our fish, our waters.

How confident are you

that the politicians

are going to deliver what you want?

At the moment I'm fairly confident

to be honest with you.

They are saying all

the right things.

I am very confident

at the moment really.

Fishermen here say there is much

to gain from Brexit.

The waters around these islands

are rich with fish and it is time,

they say, that they got

back their fair share.

More fish are landed in Shetland

than all of England,

Wales and Northern Ireland combined,

but there is more to the industry

than just catching the fish.

There is the processing

and selling of it too.

At the moment selling fish

into Europe couldn't be any

easier at the moment.

If anything changes,

to make that more difficult,

it will be a backward step.

But the problem with Brexit

is at the moment nobody really knows

what the final deal is.

This archipelago is

the most northerly part

of the United Kingdom.

The islands are wealthy and have

close to full employment.

There are many Europeans working

in industry here like fish farming

and a fifth of the staff at this

hatchery are from Europe.

So what of the future?

We can't find enough people

in Shetland for all the jobs,

particularly the specialist jobs

we need and it can be very hard

to persuade people especially

on a windy day like this,

from the UK, that Shetland is

a place they want to come and live.

Very often we find it easier to find

people from the EU to come

to live on Shetland.

Fishing is not a big part

of Britain's economy overall,

but in places like this, it's vital.

Shetland's fishermen say

they are not naive about the Brexit

negotiations to come.

Shetland counts for nothing

with the European Commission.

It's a very remote place that

decides things for others

It's a very remote place that

decides things for us

without considering the consequences

for our community.

Are you worried at all,

what the fishing community is asking

for might get negotiated away?

At the end of the day,

a negotiation needs to be had

and things will given away,

concessions will be made.

You know, there's nothing to say,

there's nothing written

in stone we won't be one

of those concessions.

Britain is an island nation.

The fishermen say their

industry is more than just

symbolically important.

As the details of a Brexit

deal are hammered out,

they are determined their voice

will be heard.

Lorna Gordon, BBC News, Shetland.

The Department for the Environment

Food and Rural Affairs told us:

"The Environment Secretary has

already set out the direction

for the UK's fishing

industry outside the EU.

This will lead to amore profitable

and resilient sector working

alongside other countries to manage

fish stocks sustainably

and effectively."

You can watch more of the BBC's

special coverage on Brexit

and the fishing industry throughout

the day on the BBC News Channel.

Hello, this is Breakfast

with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

It's Wednesday 27th February.

We'll have the latest news

and sport in just a moment.

But coming up later in the

programme: The big freeze continues.

Temperatures plummeted again

overnight with more snow for eastern

areas and concerns about vulnerable

people as the cold weather looks set

to last until the end of the week.

Could this be the shopping

experience of the future?

As pressure increases on food

companies to cut down on plastics,

our reporter takes a trip

to the world's first plastic

free supermarket aisle.

How many people has he killed?

Four

or five now with Gianni Versace.

Four or five now

with Gianni Versace.

And on a summer's day in 1997

the fashion designer

Gianni Versace was shot dead

outside his home in Miami.

We'll be talking to writer

Tom Rob Smith about his new series

of American Crime Story,

exploring the motive

behind the murder.

All that still to come.

But now a summary of this

morning's main news.

The UK is waking up to another

morning of freezing temperatures

and snow as this week of unusually

cold weather continues.

There's already been

major travel distruption,

but forecasters say the worst is yet

to come, with amber and yellow

warnings for ice and snow

in place until the weekend.

Phil Bodmer is in the snowy

village of Thornton-Le-Dale

in the North York Moors for us this

morning - how are

things looking Phil?

Good morning. Another covering of

snow, and we have had several

centimetres of fresh snow overnight.

I have to say the journey up here

today has been really tricky. The M1

was completely covered in snow and

at that time the a 64 approaching

this direction was absolutely white

out. I have to say the village looks

absolutely beautiful. That bus has

got to go to Leeds. I have been

talking to local people this morning

who have been telling me conditions

are much worse this morning than

they were yesterday morning. What is

significant today is the wind chill.

It feels it could cut you in half.

We estimate it to be roundabout -12

here today. That gives you a clue as

to how cold it is. These weather

warnings are in force for the whole

of the north of England, throughout

Yorkshire up to the north-east.

There are concerns about the welfare

of vulnerable people, especially if

they have to go out. If you live

near somebody who may need help or

shopping, go and assist them because

they are concerned about people's

welfare in this cold weather. The

snow is forecast to continue

throughout the day. We are up to 12

centimetres here and on the North

Yorkshire Moors and on the east

coast up to the borders of Scotland.

We are in for a pretty tricky day

and over the next 24 hours.

And you

mention the borders in Scotland and

we will be live in Scotland where

there is another amber weather

warning and we will be there to see

what the conditions are like.

And we will be putting together our

map with input from all of you as

well.

Please get your pictures sent ten.

Please get your pictures sent ten.

The European Union's Chief

negotiator Michel Barnier

will publish the first draft

of the EU's Brexit

Treaty later today.

The 120-page document is expected

to focus on Northern Ireland and any

possible future role

for the European Court of Justice.

It comes just hours after a leaked

letter from the Foreign Secretary

caused a new row over the issue

of the border with Ireland.

A couple of big high street names

could be on the brink of collapse

this week with both Toys R Us

and Maplin trying to find buyers.

The struggling retailers -

two of the UK's best known chains -

are understood to have put

administrators on standby after

failing to secure a rescue deal.

Toys R US employs around three

thousand workers whilst Maplin has

2500 members of staff.

The public's satisfaction

with the NHS has seen a sharp

decline over the last year,

with our opinion of GP

services at its lowest level

since records began.

The latest British Social

Attitudes survey of 3,000

people across England,

Wales and Scotland found that

almost a third of respondents

were unhappy with the NHS,

with prolonged waiting

times being cited as one

of the main concerns.

A supermarket in Amsterdam is

opening what it says is the world's

first plastic-free aisle.

An environmental campaign group

helped replace plastic packaging

with biodegradable materials

on around 700 products.

The company says it hopes to expand

the trial to all its 75 stores

by the end of the year.

That is all the latest news. Let us

know how the cold weather is

affecting you. And we were looking

at the spot and it was bitterly cold

in the FA Cup tie.

If you were sitting outside for an

hour and a half, you would have felt

the cold more than most. That is

what the Swansea fans did last

night, but they were giving out free

tea and toffee by the club. It makes

a big difference.

And it helped because they won. A

good night all round. They have not

been to the quarterfinals for a long

time.

time.

Swansea city have reached

the quarter-finals of the FA Cup

for the first time in 54 years.

They beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0

at the Liberty Stadium,

Nathan Dyer with a cheeky

nutmeg for their second.

Tottenham or Rochdale await

in the next round and play

their replay at Wembley tonight.

The gap at the top of

the Scottish Premiership

is down to six points,

after second-placed Rangers

beat St Johnstone 4-1,

Alfredo Morelos rounding things off.

Leaders Celtic can pull away

again tonight though,

they play Dundee.

The England Women's manager

Phil Nevellie believes his critics

are just waiting for him to fail.

He wasn't on the FA's initial short

list for the job, and then a day

after his appointment,

had to apologise for past

tweets about women.

He takes charge of his first match

in the She Believes Cup

against Farnce on Thursday.

I don't think I should be judged

solely on this tournament.

There are probably people out

there who probably want me to lose

all three games and be

told, "I told you so".

But ultimately, I've got

a four-year contract,

I've got the backing of Sue Campbell

and Dan Ashworth of the FA board,

so they have invested a lot in me

and I see this as a long-term

project, not just

the next three games.

To the cricket and it's been

a fairly miserable few

months for England -

they've won only two of their six

matches in February so far -

but they could be on course

for another victory in the second

one-dayer against New Zealand.

They need 244 to win and they're

86-2 in the 16th over,

They need 244 to win and they're

98-3 in the 16th over,

Bairstow and Morgan going well.

Ben Stokes is out at the crease. Joe

Root is out.

Joe Root is out.

There's been a fair bit

of controversy over paralympic

classifications recently

and the British Paralympic

Association has

published new guidance.

The UK Athlete Classification Code

places athletes' rights

and responsibilities

at the heart of the process.

I think it's about absolutely

understanding who is responsible

for what and particularly,

how can we better educate

the athletes, the support personnel,

everyone involved in the delivery

of Paralympic sport,

to make sure they understand how

the process works and more

importantly, at a national level,

what the responsibilities are.

Then when it comes to it,

there will be a better understanding

of that so anyone who has a concern

can base that on a genuine concern

rather than a lack of understanding.

Women golfers will play

in a men's European Tour team

event for the first time,

later this year.

Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn

will partner Solheim Cup

skipper Catriona Matthew,

in the GolfSixes tournament

at the Centurion Club

near St Albans in May.

The event has a six-hole

match-play format -

it's aim is to be the equivalent

of cricket's Twenty20 competition.

Cyclists Laura and Jason Kenny

are back competing later today.

Let's hope they had a good night's

sleep because they've

taken their six-month-old baby Albie

with them to the Track Cycling World

Championships in the Netherlands.

Instead of staying in the team

hotel, they've taken up residence

in a city apartment,

along with the grandparents

who will help out with childcare.

The Kennys are two of seven Olympic

champions in the British team.

We've been talking a lot about

the wintery weather this morning.

But if you thought your journey

into work or school was hard,

then take a look a this.

Vertical Skiiers have been

facing an uphill battle

at the European Ski Mountaineering

Championships.

This was the spectacular

scene on the southern

slopes of Mount Etna.

The race had to be delayed for two

days as the freezing conditions

became simply unbrearable

for competitors

and spectators alike.

It was exhausting work just

to reach the finish line.

And there was a dog out there as

well, amazing.

We mentioned cold weather payments

on Monday and you can get a cold

weather payments if you get certain

benefits. If the average temperature

in your area is recorded or forecast

to be 0 Celsius or below that for

four days on the trot. Lots of

people are asking us about this. If

you want to find out if you are

eligible, go to the government

website and type in cold-weather

payments to find out if you are

eligible for that.

More on that later. We will be

speaking to a doctor.

We will be speaking to a doctor.

The European Union's Chief

negotiator Michel Barnier

will publish the first draft of

the EU's Brexit Treaty later today.

It's expected to discuss

the Northern Ireland border,

but comes just hours after a leaked

letter from the Foreign Secretary

Boris Johnson caused

new controversy around the issue.

Joining us now from Westminster

is the Chief Secretary

to the Treasury Liz Truss.

Good morning. I want to pick up that

thought about the letter. In it, it

says this phrase, even if there is a

hard border. Even to put it in those

terms seems to be going against

government policy, doesn't it?

I

cannot comment on leaked letters

from the government. We are clear

there will be no hard border in

Northern Ireland. It is important we

do not go back to the borders of the

past and that is why we are seeking

special arrangements with the

European Union.

That takes us

straight to the nutty issue of

negotiation. This would be a red

line for the government?

We have

been absolutely clear we are not

going back to a hard border which

was previously the case in Northern

Ireland. There are a lot of

different solutions we are looking

at. It is important we are not part

of the customs union. We need to be

able to strike our own trade deals

as well. The Prime Minister will be

outlining all of this in her speech

on Friday.

The language that Boris

Johnson is using, can you comment on

that at all?

I will not comment on

leaked documents, or I will say is

we are not returning to a hard

border in Ireland.

This leaked

document and other things that have

been said in public, there seems to

be a big division and Cabinet. How

does that affect you as a government

going into negotiations?

We had a

meeting last week of the European

subcommittee and it was a positive

meeting. They have agreed on the

terms on which we are going into

negotiations. We have got another

meeting of the Cabinet tomorrow to

talk through the detail of the Prime

Minister's speech. I can tell you

that the Cabinet are very agreed on

a way forward. We want to leave the

single market and the customs union,

get a frictionless trade deal. We

are all on board with that and are

moving forward.

Either Cabinet

meetings frictionless?

Yes, they

are. They are positive, there is a

sense of humour and we are working

hard together, not just on Brexit

but on the other important thing is

this government has to deliver as

well.

We heard from Michel Barnier

reiterating there were significant

differences on where the EU and the

UK are on Brexit and the clock is

ticking. These are such tricky

negotiations.

Will they happen in

time? Absolutely and when you saw

what happened in December and the

way the Prime Minister delivered the

first stage, it was massively

positive progress on that front. Of

course the European Union will be in

a different position to the UK. That

is what negotiation is about. We are

determined to move forward, we have

made progress already and we are

looking forward to the March council

and we will be leaving the European

Union next year.

I want to talk

about the European Court of Justice,

the EU demanding that the UK remains

subject to rulings indefinitely

until its Brexit divorce deal. How

do you stand on that? How do you go

forward on that? Is that another red

line?

When people voted to leave the

European Union one of the things

they were voting for was not to be

subject to the jurisdiction of the

European Court of Justice and it is

important we leave the European

Court of Justice jurisdiction and we

have control over our own laws. That

is something the Prime Minister has

been very clear about in her

speeches.

A winter related question.

As Chief Secretary to the Treasury

we know there are cold-weather

payments. Will you accelerate those?

Are you looking at extra help for

people?

We are making sure those

payments go out to the people and a

number have been released. We are

also making sure, and we have been

working on this for weeks, that we

have proper contingency plans in

place in areas like transports

people can go into work and get on

with their lives.

Liz Truss, Chief

Secretary to the Treasury, thank

you.

Despite the plummeting temperatures

Some of you have been heading

outdoors with your cameras

and sending us your pictures

for our Break-frost map.

Dan and Paul in North Wales

sent us this picture

of the snowman they built.

Robin Ellis had an amazing view

of the Butley River in Suffolk.

A lot of people have been wrapping

up warm and heading out

to look at the snow,

including Rachel Patterson

who sent this picture

from Kielder in Northumberland.

And Tracey Bryne was

getting a helping hand -

or should that be paw?

When sledging in Tiptree in Essex.

We have the build-up to Sport Relief

and I don't think the radio

presenter Greg will be able to

complete his challenge.

complete his challenge. He needs a

tip from Caerphilly Council, has

sent out a humorous tweet who are

advising you how to walk in the

snow, they say you have to walk like

a penguin. The key to that is loose

knees and small steps with your toes

pointed out. I am hoping you will

give us a demonstration later on.

Maybe later.

Here's Carol with a look

at this morning's weather.

Temperatures in parts of Scotland

fell as low as minus 11. Not all

others will see snow today, some of

us will be dry with sunny intervals,

some of us will say a little bit of

snow and some will see significant

snow. We will stop with the

significant snow. The Met office has

two areas covered by the bee

prepared Amber warnings. The first

is across northern, Eastern and

central and southern Scotland. Also

part of Cumbria. This one runs until

6pm on Thursday evening and we are

looking at a further ten to 15

centimetres of snow fall in some of

those areas. It has been snowing

heavily overnight in Glasgow. In the

South East, we have another amber be

prepared for disruption due to snow

fall, this morning. It runs until

10am this morning and we could see a

further five to ten centimetres, may

be locally a little bit more than

that. As we go through the course of

the morning, the wind will

strengthen so the snow will keep

piling into the areas I have just

highlighted where we are expecting

disruption. Further south, snow

showers blowing over towards the

West. It will feel cold today and

the maximum temperature roughly from

about freezing 2-2, but add on the

strength of the wind, the wind chill

will make you feel like minus five

in Aberdeen and minus 11 in the

Norwich area for example. Wherever

you are, it will feel brutally cold.

Worth bearing in mind if you are

stepping out. Some of the snow will

be blowing in the wind. Overnight we

have the area covered by the amber

weather warning, which will still be

producing more snow. Further south,

some snow showers drying out for a

time across parts of the south-east.

Snow across southern parts of Devon,

Cornwall and Dorset. Also snow

showers getting into the Channel

Islands. As we head into Thursday,

we still have our amber weather

warning for snow across areas in the

north we have already mentioned. But

we have another one for snow and

wind across south-west England and

also Wales. We are keeping a close

eye on that because the storm coming

our way named by the Portuguese Met

service, Emma. She will come across

Iberia and the Bay of Biscay and

when she hits our shores, this is

the kind of direction she will take

and she will produce a bit of snow

as she does so. The isobars also

show it will be windy. Depending on

the track that storm does take, we

expect the snow to come in the

southern areas in the morning. It

might clip the London area but it

will be this part

will be this part of the UK that

will see the significant snow and

strong winds with blizzards. All it

would take for the storm to drift a

little bit further east or west and

these areas could change. We have

the amber warning across parts of

Scotland and Ingham. It will be

bitterly cold once again. We're not

done with the snow just yet.

We have just got an update from the

Scottish Borders and the council has

closed all the schools due to the

forecast of snow. The local

authority said they are likely to

remain closed on Thursday due to the

conditions anticipated. That is in

from the Scottish Borders Council

this morning. We mentioned

Caerphilly Borough Council has sent

out an informative tweet.

Yes, how to navigate across the ice

and snow. They said to walk like a

penguin. Extend your arms, pointing

your toes out like a penguin and

soft knees. I shall be working on

that. Louise has asked me to

demonstrate so I will pencil it in

for about 7:35am. It is good advice,

if you slip and fall, you are in

trouble.

Louise, we are a public service

broadcaster. You are going to

demonstrate.

Today is crunch-time for one

of the most recognisable names

on the high street -

Toys R Us.

The chain could go into

administration later.

Steph has been looking

at how this happened.

It is a huge business. It is one of

those names which were decades

dominated the toy market in the UK

and if you are anything like me you

can probably still sing the advert

from the 90s.

#

There's a magical place, we are on

our way there.

#

Toys in their millions all under one

roof.

But the toy giant has been

struggling and is drowning under

debt and now it has missed a

deadline to pay a £50 million VAT

bill.

So what's gone wrong?

Rob Hutchins is the Editor

Of ToyNews magazine.

This is an interesting story because

it is a business that hasn't changed

for years and that is part of the

problem?

Yes, since the 1990s, it

was a huge sort of arrival for the

toy business at the time. But as you

say, it didn't evolve, stuck with

the same mother, essentially a big

warehouse filled with shelves of

toys and they failed to keep up with

the current consumer habits.

What

are the habits today of people

buying toys?

People are shopping

online, town centre small stores,

meeting the consumer where they are.

Now Toys R Us hasn't been able to

adapt, what is going to happen?

It

hangs in the balance, we are not

sure when they will go into

Administration, at the moment there

are 3200 jobs on the line. It is a

worrying prospect, but it doesn't

necessarily mean those jobs will be

lost immediately. As we saw with the

likes of HMV a few years ago, buyers

are looking out when the right time

is to come in and perhaps pick up

the pieces they believe will prosper

in the future. It doesn't mean

necessarily, those jobs are on the

line.

If a buyer came in, what would

they do to Toys R Us, is it still a

valuable business?

Absolutely, it is

a heritage in the brands, we have

known them since the 90s. They were

locked at the most viable and

prosperous areas of the business and

make it work in today's current

consumer trend.

What will that mean,

will we see more online, more Toys R

Us popping up on high streets? I

know it is like looking into a

crystal ball, but with your

knowledge with what works in the toy

industry?

I think they will enhance

their online offering. They will

look to scale down in the size of

their stores, bring them into the

town centres where people are

shopping and try to ramp up the

theatre, bringing AR technology into

the store so people and kids can

engage.

Like virtual reality?

Yes,

the fun and spiritual element back

into the stores.

Thank you for your

time and we will keep you updated.

Thank you, Steph.

In 2014 millions of us travelled

to the Tower of London to see

the field of ceramic poppies,

created to mark a century since

the start of the First World War.

Now, 100 years after the end

of The Great War, plans have been

announced for a haunting reminder

of those who never

returned from the front.

We are going to go just outside our

studios.

This is one of the soldier

silhouettes from the There

But Not There Project,

they'll be appearing at sites

across the UK later this year.

We'll be talking to man behind

the project around 7:40am.

It is a poignant sculpture. He will

be seeing them across the UK across

the weeks and months as well.

Time now to get the news,

travel and weather where you are.

Hello, this is Breakfast,

with Dan Walker and Louise Minchin.

Temperatures plunge

to minus 11 as the "beast

from the east" tightens its grip.

Hundreds of schools are closed

in Scotland and commuters are facing

major travel disruption.

The Met Office has a number weather

warnings out in some parts of the UK

could have another 10-15 centimetres

of snow ball and there is the added

hazard of ice. The weather round-up

in about 15 minutes.

The weather round-up

in about 15 minutes.

Good morning, it's Wednesday

the 28th of February.

We will keep you right up to date

with the weather throughout the

programme.

programme.

Also this morning:

Downing Street insists there'll be

no hard border in Ireland as the EU

prepares to unveil its plan

for life after Brexit.

Toys R Us is on the brink

of administration as it's unable

to pay back its debts.

More than 3,200 job are at risk.

I'll have the details shortly.

Food unwrapped.

The world's first "plastic-free"

aisle opens in a Dutch supermarket.

In sport, Swansea City's manager

wasn't even born when they last

reached the FA Cup quarter-finals.

They've made it through for

the first time since 1964,

thanks to victory over

Sheffield Wednesday last night.

Good morning.

Good morning.

The UK is waking up to another

morning of freezing conditions

after temperatures

fell to minus-eleven

in some areas overnight.

The cold weather has already

caused major distruption,

but forecasters say the worst is yet

to come, with warnings

in place until the weekend.

Here's our correspondent

Jon Donnison with more.

The so-called "beast from the East"

has already left much of Britain

under a blanket of snow.

The satellite images showed just how

fast the cold snap has moved in over

the last 24 hours.

the last 24 hours.

This is Kent, which has

received some of the worst

of the weather so far.

The National police air service

captured the shock of the snow

slowly edging over central London.

slowly edging over central London.

On the ground it has been a much

less pretty picture for drivers,

with the police reporting scores

of accidents across the country.

Today again conditions on the roads

are expected to be treacherous.

Weather warnings for ice and snow

are in place for much of the UK.

They are expected to

remain until the weekend.

Yorkshire and the North East have

seen some of the heaviest snowfall.

With more expected today, many

schools are likely to stay close.

With more expected today, many

schools are likely to stay closed.

When I was younger the snow

was thicker and we still

managed to get to school.

I think it is the teachers

who can't get in.

That is the problem in this area

because of the outlying villages

that the teachers come from.

For Britain's homeless,

this is in central London,

it was another tough night,

temperatures down to -10

in some parts and feeling

much colder in the wind.

The elderly too are vulnerable.

In Hull extra staff at meals

on wheels services are being brought

in to deliver hot food.

I can't get out to get

meals and things.

So it's just wonderful.

The only complaint I have

got is they never bring

you a drop of brandy!

And over the next few days

that might be needed.

Forecasters say they expect no letup

in the freezing weather

until at least the weekend.

Jon Donnison, BBC News.

We will keep you right up to date

throughout the programme with what

is going on. This is a beautiful

shot. This is from outside new

broadcasting house in London. There

is a smattering of snow on the

ground. Other areas really badly

affected by what is going on. I

imagine it is affecting transport in

London as well. It looks beautiful,

but it is causing problems for

people as well.

On the front page there is a picture

of that snow cloud.

It looks like something out of a

movie.

It looks like something

out of a movie.

Phil Bodmer is in the snowy

village of Thornton-Le-Dale

in the North York Moors

for us this morning -

how are things looking Phil?

You were telling us about a bus that

may or may not be able to get to

Leeds. We can see very snowy

conditions on the road.

Yes, the bus

left. It will be a slow journey to

Leeds. The M1 was absolutely white

out. There have been snow ploughs

and gritting teams out, but the

problem is the moment they go

through, there is another dump of

snow and that has been the case. It

has been on and off all morning.

Here they had several centimetres

overnight. It looks pretty perfect.

But this is the main road. Traffic

is lighter than normal. The ploughs

have not been through here this

morning, but conditions are less

than ideal. Yesterday when we were

out and about it felt quite mild.

Today it is very cold, it cuts you

in half. We estimate the wind chill

at about -12 today. The advice is if

you are driving, take extra time and

precautions. Your journey will take

longer. Bear in mind vulnerable

people. If you can do some shopping

for somebody, look out for them. The

number weather warnings are in place

for Yorkshire and in the North East

right up to Scotland today and more

snow is expected.

snow is expected.

Catriona Renton is in Glasgow

for us this morning -

what kind of distruption

is expected today Catriona?

We can see the weather coming in. We

know many schools are closed. Give

us an idea of the impact.

It really

is no joke, it has been falling

overnight. The snow is coming down,

it looks pretty and it is very quiet

around here. The roads are silent

around here and that is a sign that

people are taking heed of those

warning. The conditions on the

motorways, for those of us who

travelled in this morning, we can

vouch for the fact that conditions

are terrible. 12 local authority

areas have said they have closed

their schools. That means a day off

for tens of thousands of children.

There is a warning, not to travel if

you can possibly avoid it. The

airport apparently is still open at

the moment, but the advice is to

take lots of care and leave lots of

extra time if you are planning on

making the journey today. One way to

travel, a jogger just ran past us

before we came on air. That is the

safest way to go. But the advice is

to mind how you go and take care of

everybody in your local community,

especially in rural areas where they

may be power outages.

We will let

you get in from the snow and we will

keep everyone up to date. We will

talk later about cold-weather

payments. Various people are able to

claim if you are on benefits. You

can claim a payment if the average

temperature in your area is recorded

to be 0 Celsius below that for seven

days on the trot. If you want more

information, go to the government

website.

Liz Truss from the Treasury was

saying they are trying to speed up

those payments. Schools are closed

in Scotland. The Scottish Borders

Council decided to shut all their

schools. Other schools in the United

Kingdom are closed as well. The best

place to go is to listen to your

local radio station or the BBC

website which is being updated all

the time. We will give you as much

information as we can. And we have

got more details on the weather

coming up shortly.

The European Union's chief

negotiator will publish the first

draft of the EU Brexit Treaty today.

The document is expected to focus on

Northern Ireland and any future role

for the European Court of Justice.

It comes hours after a leaked letter

from the Foreign Secretary caused a

new row over the issue of the Irish

Ireland. In a moment we will go to

Adam Fleming in Brussels who

described it as a Christmas Day

present. Ellen Ghani is in

Westminster. We talk about this all

the time, but either party is

getting any closer?

Today will be an

extremely contentious day yet again

and the EU and the UK Government

have a long way to go in the

negotiations. Once again the UK

Government has been thrown into the

defensive because of comments Boris

Johnson made. He got himself into

hot water because he used a

potentially toxic phrase. In a

leaked letter that Sky News got hold

of it I think he was trying to show

there was no need for an

infrastructure at the border between

Northern Ireland and the Republic of

Ireland, but he used in that letter

the phrase "Even if there is a hard

border", and that allowed his

critics to say that the government

was considering a physical

infrastructure at the border. That

would be an anathema to Republicans

and the Irish government as well

because that led to the government

saying they would not contemplate a

hard border. One idea is to keep

Northern Ireland in alignment with

EU regulations, but the DUP who

support the votes that Theresa May

needs to get Brexit through, they

will not accept that. This issue of

the Irish border will be one of the

most complicated issues to solve in

this process and with every twist

and turn it is politically extremely

difficult for Theresa May.

Our Europe reporter

Adam Flemming is in Brussels.

It doesn't be like today is a

significant day, mentioning

Christmas Day.

It is very symbolic

because this document is the first

draft of the treaty that Theresa May

will eventually sign, which will

take the UK out of the EU. That is a

massive deal. Then there is the

substance of the document which

could prove controversial. These are

the EU's proposal. On Northern

Ireland we will see fleshed out in

serious detail and legal language

the government's least preferred

option for dealing with preventing a

hard border between Northern Ireland

and the Republic of Ireland. The

more preferred options will be

mentioned but not in such detail.

They will mention the European Court

of Justice saying European judges

should have a big say in overseeing

how this treaty works in the future.

That is not what the UK agrees to

and that is because this is the

first draft provided by the EU. The

other 27 countries have not had a

say on it yet and it will be

negotiated with the UK. A big

symbolic moment but still quite a

long way to go.

Adam Fleming in

Brussels.

Brussels. I almost said Paris for

some reason.

The public's satisfaction

with the NHS has seen a sharp

decline over the last year,

with our opinion of GP

services at its lowest level

since records began.

The latest British Social Attitudes

survey of three thousand

people across England,

Wales and Scotland found that

almost a third of respondents

were unhappy with the NHS

with prolonged waiting

times being cited as one

of the main concerns.

Meghan Markle will join her fiance

Prince Harry alongside the Duke

and Duchess of Cambridge later

as the four carry out their first

official engagement together.

They'll be discussing the work

of The Royal Foundation,

the organisation behind

the Heads Together mental health

campaign, United for Wildlife

and the Invictus Games.

Meghan will become the fourth patron

of the charity after marrying

Prince Harry in May.

Let's return to our main story now -

freezing temperatures

are continuing to sweep

across the

UK - causing widespread distruption

for those of us trying to get

to work or school.

This is BBC broadcasting house in

central London. You can see a

covering of snow which will have an

ongoing impact on travel. It does

look beautiful, but at the same time

it causes serious problems for

people as well. This is Glasgow. We

spoke to Katrina Renton earlier and

you can see very difficult

conditions, which is why so many

schools have been closed. We will

give you details on that throughout

the programme as well. And this is

seen on the M1 about 30 ago. This

was the journey Phil was making from

lead up into North Yorkshire. You

can see the treacherous road

conditions. That is normally a three

lane motorway in parts. I think we

can show you the dusting of snow

because people are sending in

pictures. That is not as deep as I

expected it to be around the angel

of the North.

And this is a stunning picture that

was taken yesterday of the storm is

coming in over London. We will get

that later. It is unusually cold and

everyone should take care and you

should make it more bearable for the

most vulnerable people in our

community.

What are your top priorities?

The

advice is to try and keep warm. Most

of it is sensible, you would know

what to do anyway, so the room you

spend most of your timing, keep it

at 18 or 20 degrees. Make sure you

are having warm food, warm drinks

and make sure you have got your

medication available. If you are

having to go out, be sensible and

you have the right shoes so you can

be safe when you do get outside.

Look out for people who might be on

their own and a bit vulnerable,

neighbours, relations. Make sure

they are OK. Just be sensible.

It

sounds basic, but one of daughters

came down in a T-shirt ready to go

outside. It is the youngest and the

oldest we need to look after?

Yes,

they tend to get more ill, but the

people in between, they are out and

about and they tend to slip and fall

over I get the breaks and the

bruises.

We were talking earlier

about a tweeter which was sent out

by a council, telling people how to

walk and to walk like a penguin.

That sounds silly, but actually it

is quite sensible, isn't it, to be

thinking about how you walk and what

you wear on your feet?

It is

certainly what you are wearing on

your feet. I have my slippers on and

nip out to the bin and then there is

a patch of ice and down you go. Look

at what you are wearing, where are

you going? Maybe take a longer route

if it will be safer. Have that

information. I can't understand the

basis for the penguin walk, the

wider gate. I am not sure.

I think

it was sent slightly with their

tongue in their cheek, but if it

stops you from falling over, it is

good. Have penguins got knees? I

don't know. Point defeat out

slightly and have your arms by your

sides. It is from carefully council,

so people making jokes walking

carefully. -- carefully. One more

serious issue, talking about heating

house to 18 degrees, but there are

genuine concerns about cost and

Steph was talking about gas bills

going up. If you are concerned about

turning the temperature up, it is

not just about going outside, it is

staying warm in your house, hot

water bottles, layers?

Sometimes

people have electric blankets and

they use those. There is some

financial help you can tap into and

it is worth finding out about that.

Making sure you have lots of warm

drinks to keep you warm. Try and

make sure you minimise the drafts

and your house is insulated, keep

the curtains drawn at night. Keep

yourself in layers, keeps moving,

because when you move, you generate

heat. Fingers crossed by next week,

things should get a bit easier.

You

say fingers crossed, luckily we have

Carol. On the cold weather payments,

you can find out if you are eligible

for those in your area by going to

the government website and looking

on bass. Search cold-weather

payments. I am sure it will come up.

Carol, I know it is a busy morning,

so we can look at the weather and

tell us what is happening over the

next few days?