welcome to bbc news. the uk s most senior diplomat in brussels, sir ivan rogers, has resigned. sir ivan was criticised for warning the government that it could take a decade to reach a trade deal with the european union once britain has left. he told his office today that he would be stepping down as ambassador early just two months before formal brexit talks are due to begin. he was appointed by the then prime minister david cameron in november 2013. the reason for his resignation has not been revealed. let s get more from our political correspondent iain watson at westminster. we still don t know, we still haven t heard anything from him? i m afraid we haven t. what is interesting is the downing street statement, a pretty anodyne couple of lines from number ten, effectively saying the reason he stood down in fact was to give a successof stood down in fact was to give a successor the chance to be in place before the brexit negotiations took place. of course we expect artic
given suspended sentences. also coming up. plans to reduce the powers of an independent watchdog have been dropped. the congress withdraw a controversial initiative to strip the committee of its powers. a 48 hour strike among cabin crew at british airways, has been called by the union unite, starting a week today. and going full circle. how vinyl is making a comeback, with the sales of records hitting a 25 year high. good evening and welcome to bbc news. the uk s most senior diplomat to the european union has quit just weeks after warning it could take a decade to reach a trade deal with the european union following brexit. sir ivan rogers s resignation comes less than three months before the government expects to start formal talks on leaving the eu. his comments put him at the centre of a political row leave campaigners accused him of being unduly pessimistic, while others argued that he was simply reporting the mood in brussels. this report from our political correspon
whether republican led u.s. in london and seven in washington whether republican led us congress was expecting to have a ceremony backin was expecting to have a ceremony back in 2017. instead, it was full of action to stop republicans have ditched a plan to strip the office of congressional ethics. it was prodded by a public outcry and a dressing down from donald trump. as the brand new congress convenes on thursday, instead of celebrating, lawmakers were the centre of the debate. it is over their behaviour is policed in the name of avoiding corruption. 0n is policed in the name of avoiding corruption. on monday night, republicans in the house of representatives tried to cut the independence of the office of congressional ethics. by bringing it under the control of the house committee, putting an outcry from democrats and government watchdogs. despite the row, it looked like a done deal. until donald trump took to twitter, saying, with all that congress has to work on, do the
was expected to have a ceremonious first day back for 2017. instead, it was full of action republicans have ditched a plan to strip the office of congressional ethics of its independence. the reversal was prompted by a public outcry and a dressing down from donald trump on twitter. and in the past hour, the president elect has also tweeted that onjanuary 11th in new york he will hold his first official news conference since his election. here s laura trevelyan with the latest from washington. the house will come to order. as the brand new congress convened on thursday, instead of celebrating the republicans‘ dominance of washington, lawmakers were the centre of the debate. it is over their behaviour is policed in the name of avoiding corruption. on monday night, republicans in the house of representatives tried to gut the independence of the office of congressional ethics by bringing it under the control of a house committee, prompting an outcry from democrats and governm
beginning to inflate? we ll find out in the next few hours if price rises in the block are now back on track. britain s top diplomat at the european union has resigned just a few months before the uk begins negotiations to leave the bloc. announcing his resignation, he s said there is muddled thinking about britain s departure from the eu, a comment believed to be directed at the government. it s not known exactly why ivan rogers has stepped down, but the country s ambassador to the eu had recently warned of the difficulties the uk would face in reaching a deal for its exit. tim allman reports. he was britain s man in brussels. the uk s ambassador to the european union. now sir ivan rogers has decided to quit his post. he is going, he says, to allow a new team to ta ke going, he says, to allow a new team to take over before brexit negotiations begin but, as he was metaphorically walking out the door, sir ivan appeared to criticise the government s preparations for that moment