:00:11. > :00:14.The mother of a man - believed to have fled the country
:00:15. > :00:18.after a hit-and-run - has made an emotional appeal
:00:19. > :00:26.Police suspect that 23-year-old Aidan McAteer was driving the car
:00:27. > :00:28.which hit Violet Grace Youens and her grandmother on Saturday.
:00:29. > :00:34.Here's our Merseyside Reporter Andy Gill.
:00:35. > :00:37.This afternoon, people were still bringing tributes
:00:38. > :00:40.to Violet Grace Youens at the scene where she was fatally injured.
:00:41. > :00:44.She died in her mother's arms in hospital the day after she was hit.
:00:45. > :00:48.The man police suspect of driving the car is Aidan McAteer.
:00:49. > :01:01.the mum of the little girl - haven't you?
:01:02. > :01:06.And if I didn't have a heart, I wouldn't have done it.
:01:07. > :01:07.Violet Grace's grandmother, Angela French, was seriously hurt
:01:08. > :01:15.Violet Grace's pancreas and kidneys were donated to help other children.
:01:16. > :01:17.Aidan McAteer's mother says he's put her and himself
:01:18. > :01:23.But her appeal today is about the four-year-old
:01:24. > :01:35.But I don't condone what's happened, in any way, shape or form.
:01:36. > :01:39.This is about... It's not about me.
:01:40. > :01:43.I feel dreadful. I feel awful.
:01:44. > :01:46.If I could run away, and never come back, I'd be gone.
:01:47. > :01:54.This is about this family and this little girl.
:01:55. > :01:56.A 27-year-old man, who was allegedly a passenger in the car
:01:57. > :01:59.which hit Violet Grace, appeared before Liverpool
:02:00. > :02:06.Dean Ian Brennan, formerly of Prescott, is accused of assisting
:02:07. > :02:10.an offender by collecting a passport, theft of a motor
:02:11. > :02:16.vehicle and of being carried in a stolen car.
:02:17. > :02:22.Another man, who is 23 who was also allegedly in the car, has been
:02:23. > :02:33.Andy Gill, BBC North West Tonight, St Helens.
:02:34. > :02:36.A so-called Hillsborough Law moved a step closer to reality today.
:02:37. > :02:40.Families who lost loved ones in the disaster are hoping to get
:02:41. > :02:43.victims equal funding at official inquiries and inquests.
:02:44. > :02:46.At the moment, victims don't get the same financial
:02:47. > :02:49.A new bill brought to Parliament also places
:02:50. > :02:54.a duty on public servants to co-operate with inquiries.
:02:55. > :02:56.A minute's silence was held in Salford today
:02:57. > :02:58.to remember those who lost their lives in the terror attack
:02:59. > :03:02.Organisers say the gathering showed different faith groups
:03:03. > :03:10.And Merseyrail has drawn up a contingency plans
:03:11. > :03:12.to combat strike action on Grand National day next Saturday.
:03:13. > :03:14.The company says services will operate every 7.5
:03:15. > :03:17.minutes at key times on April the 8th.
:03:18. > :03:20.Members of the RMT Union are walking out for 24 hours
:03:21. > :03:26.in their dispute over driver-only operated trains.
:03:27. > :03:30.Britain began its divorce proceedings with the European Union
:03:31. > :03:35.today by triggering Article 50 of The Lisbon Treaty.
:03:36. > :03:38.But what will leaving mean here in the North West?
:03:39. > :03:42.We've gathered a group of people to ask them what they want
:03:43. > :03:44.from our Brexit deal and we'll be revisiting them
:03:45. > :03:50.Here's our Social Affairs Correspondent Clare Fallon.
:03:51. > :03:54.Meet our Brexit club - six people from across the region
:03:55. > :03:56.with different views on leaving the EU
:03:57. > :04:02.I'm British, cos I was born in England, in Manchester.
:04:03. > :04:10.But the fact is that I did enjoy being part of the European family.
:04:11. > :04:11.I didn't like the direction of travel.
:04:12. > :04:14.Like a lot of people, I was concerned about the sort
:04:15. > :04:20.I think that a lot of people feel quite jaded and that perhaps it
:04:21. > :04:23.might not happen or they're in denial that it might actually
:04:24. > :04:30.From the signing of Article 50, through the process of deal-making
:04:31. > :04:33.and leaving, we'll check in with these people,
:04:34. > :04:38.as Britain checks out of the European Union.
:04:39. > :04:41.For some, the impact is likely to be bigger than others.
:04:42. > :04:47.I will take my British husband and my German/British child
:04:48. > :04:52.Do you think it will affect your life in any way?
:04:53. > :04:56.No, I don't, really. Not so much.
:04:57. > :05:02.Out, that's it. We voted to come out.
:05:03. > :05:04.I don't think we should be doing any deals.
:05:05. > :05:07.I think we should be concentrating on England
:05:08. > :05:08.becoming a sort of, well, independent,
:05:09. > :05:14.On a day in history, as Brexit begins, for these people,
:05:15. > :05:24.it means different things, just as it does for the rest of us.
:05:25. > :05:27.We won't know what Brexit really means for two years,
:05:28. > :05:31.And the negotiations - never done before - will be complex.
:05:32. > :05:33.Earlier, I asked Dr Kathryn Simpson from Manchester Metropolitan
:05:34. > :05:36.University how quickly things needed to happen.
:05:37. > :05:39.Michel Barnier, who is leading the negotiations for the EU
:05:40. > :05:47.and the European Commission, he is confident that we can get
:05:48. > :05:49.a deal and negotiation process done for October 2018.
:05:50. > :05:52.So we can then allow the voting to take place in member states
:05:53. > :05:58.You know, we need the approval of the 27 member states
:05:59. > :06:00.of the European Union, the European Council,
:06:01. > :06:02.the European Parliament, as well as the House of Commons
:06:03. > :06:06.So there are lots of hurdles that could trip this up?
:06:07. > :06:09.One thing that was said in the immediate aftermath
:06:10. > :06:13.of the vote here, last June, was that because we'd never
:06:14. > :06:16.negotiated trade deals, for example, for 44 years as an independent
:06:17. > :06:17.country, because we'd been part of this bloc,
:06:18. > :06:21.Yeah. Have we got them now?
:06:22. > :06:23.Absolutely, and it's a very interesting question, you know,
:06:24. > :06:27.there is a wide range of expertise here in the UK, but also,
:06:28. > :06:29.we have never done this before, this is uncharted territory,
:06:30. > :06:32.A, leaving the European Union, but also putting together
:06:33. > :06:35.this trade agreement, whatever kind of shape or form
:06:36. > :06:40.The expertise will be there, but we need to draw upon them
:06:41. > :06:43.substantially in order to get the best deal that we possibly can
:06:44. > :06:46.for the UK, as I said, because we are leaving the single
:06:47. > :06:48.market and the customs union and the European Union.
:06:49. > :06:52.Can people flood into the UK for the next two years if they wish?
:06:53. > :06:58.We are still a member state of the European Union.
:06:59. > :07:01.We are still adhering to the full freedoms, in particular,
:07:02. > :07:06.the free movement of people under the single market, so, yes,
:07:07. > :07:09.EU citizens could very much come to the UK here and work and also EU
:07:10. > :07:12.citizens that are here are protected under EU law and legislation.
:07:13. > :07:20.Dr Kathryn Simpson, thank you. Thank you.
:07:21. > :07:22.Now, the high-speed rail project HS2 was thrown into chaos today
:07:23. > :07:24.when the main contractor for the northern section
:07:25. > :07:29.American-based CH2M had been due to lead the work
:07:30. > :07:33.But there have been concerns over alleged conflicts of interest.
:07:34. > :07:38.HS2 is one of the most expensive transport projects
:07:39. > :07:45.The American-based firm CH2M, which is already developing phase
:07:46. > :07:48.one, was awarded a ?170 million deal last month to develop
:07:49. > :07:54.That would extend the line from Crewe to Manchester.
:07:55. > :07:59.But the company has now pulled out of the deal.
:08:00. > :08:01.Lots of our members in the North West at the
:08:02. > :08:03.Institution of Civil Engineers are involved in this.
:08:04. > :08:07.They're doing pre-work and designing and getting on with it.
:08:08. > :08:11.It's a large project and it will now be delayed.
:08:12. > :08:12.Mark Thurston, HS2 Limited's chief executive,
:08:13. > :08:17.Rival bidder Mace raised concerns over an alleged
:08:18. > :08:22.CH2M said today it had tried to ensure the integrity
:08:23. > :08:38.of the procurement process, adding...
:08:39. > :08:40.Opponents of this project claim it will create havoc
:08:41. > :08:42.during construction and have disastrous environmental
:08:43. > :08:47.The Government believes it will bring economic growth
:08:48. > :08:54.But tonight, uncertainty surrounds the wider project.
:08:55. > :09:03.The Government's being urged to give assurances about a planned nuclear
:09:04. > :09:07.power station next to Sellafield in Cumbria after Westinghouse,
:09:08. > :09:08.the company which would build the reactors,
:09:09. > :09:14.The GMB Union says it could put the Moorside project at risk.
:09:15. > :09:16.But those behind the scheme say it only affects Westinghouse
:09:17. > :09:26.And that is it from the newsroom tonight.
:09:27. > :09:38.Good evening. Last weekend we had an interrupted sunshine but it has
:09:39. > :09:43.changed, lots of cloud cover, perhaps blanket cover, but still
:09:44. > :09:48.mild air, and this sticks for the next couple of days. They claim
:09:49. > :09:50.temperatures may follow way over the weekend. Tomorrow, 22 degrees for
:09:51. > :09:56.us, we will need some sunshine to us, we will need some sunshine to
:09:57. > :10:01.get to 16. Tonight has been cloud and dull and damp rain. This is one
:10:02. > :10:05.of the latest pictures, it is gradually petering out, and over the
:10:06. > :10:11.next couple of hours it should be a thing of the past. Some clear where
:10:12. > :10:15.the for the early hours of tomorrow morning. -- some clear weather. We
:10:16. > :10:26.are benefiting overnight from my other error. 11-12 as a minimum. But
:10:27. > :10:30.some sunshine to start tomorrow, then cloud cover rolling in quickly,
:10:31. > :10:36.and it will become blanket cloud after too long. Rain in the Isle of
:10:37. > :10:41.Man, parts of Cumbria, spreading everywhere past lunchtime, but it is
:10:42. > :10:47.temporary. Like today it will not pour all day, and towards the end of
:10:48. > :10:52.the day, brighter skies will come back, and in the sunshine I would
:10:53. > :10:57.not be surprised if you got to 16-17 . The national weather is
:10:58. > :10:58.next, but I leave you with the outlook, gradually settling down to
:10:59. > :11:04.watch the weekend. Good night. far. The outlook for the next few
:11:05. > :11:07.days, temperatures coming down a bit but staying decent for this time of
:11:08. > :11:13.year. Here is Darren Bett with the national weather.
:11:14. > :11:19.The warm air coming up on a southerly breeze all the way from
:11:20. > :11:22.Iberia and across France into England and Wales. To achieve the
:11:23. > :11:27.high temperatures we need to get into some of this dryer air and
:11:28. > :11:30.sunshine. Even with the cloud today, 17 degrees. Not just about the
:11:31. > :11:34.temperatures, let's not forget there is some rain around as well. Quite
:11:35. > :11:38.wet in Pembrokeshire for much of the day. More rain overnight tonight,
:11:39. > :11:41.some rain and drizzle in northern and western areas. Wetter weather
:11:42. > :11:46.moving northwards across Scotland. Some rain in the south-west,
:11:47. > :11:48.shuffling towards the Midlands. Overnight, a lot of cloud around. It
:11:49. > :11:49.is going to be