and a big win for the fantasy adventure film everything everywhere all at once, after a succesful night at the screen actors guild awards in hollywood. good morning and welcome to bbc news. the prime minister and the european commission are due to hold final talks on a new post brexit trade deal for northern ireland today. rishi sunak and ursula von der leyen will meet in windsor to discuss complex challenges around the exisiting deal what s called the northern ireland protocol. there will be a cabinet meeting in the afternoon, where an update on those talks will be given. if a final deal is agreed, the prime minister and ms von der leyen will hold a short joint press conference. rishi sunak would then make a statement in the house of commons. so, what is the protocol and why is it important? it was created after brexit to avoid border controls between northern ireland and the republic of ireland which is an eu member. effectively, it leaves northern ireland within th
i m martine croxall in the studio in london. also in the headlines this morning. more than 60 people are now confirmed dead including 12 children after a boat carrying migrants sank off the southern coast of italy. fresh calls for the uk government to stop energy bill rises in april as the energy regulator announces a new price cap. early results from the nigerian elections show support for the governing party is holding firm. observers say it s still too early to predict who ll win the presidency. and big wins ahead of the oscars for the fantasy adventure film everything everywhere all at once, at the screen actors guild awards in hollywood. hello and welcome to bbc news. we are in windsor, about an hour outside london, not in westminster, which has seen of course so much of the brexit drama, but we are here today because we are told that ursula von der leyen and rishi sunak will be here in a couple of hours time, also, in orderto will be here in a couple of hours time
bit, the main impact of leaving the eu has been leaving the single market eu has been leaving the single market and there is no way the prime minister market and there is no way the prime minister is market and there is no way the prime minister is going to countenance something like that but it provides certainty something like that but it provides certainty for those businesses in northern certainty for those businesses in northern ireland and trading with northern northern ireland and trading with northern ireland. it also provides a broader northern ireland. it also provides a broader certainty because as long as the stand off over the protocol was going the stand off over the protocol was going on. the stand off over the protocol was going on, companies were not certain if we would going on, companies were not certain if we would end up with a trade war with the if we would end up with a trade war with the eu if we would end up with a trade war with the eu if the
marginally above the government guarantee. that means it is increasing pressure on the government to keep the guarantee at the current lower level of £2500. why? because it would be a significant benefit to struggling households but it would come at a relatively small cost of the government. certainly smaller than previously feared. the outcome, though, is that as things stand, on the 1st of april, bills will go up, but the good news is that as i say, the energy price cap is much lower thanit the energy price cap is much lower than it has been in previous months. if current trends continue, come july. if current trends continue, come july, the price cap will be lower than the guarantee, meaning the government will be able to stop subsidising bills and the bills should start to come down a little bit. , ., ., ,., should start to come down a little bit. , ., ., bit. and they would also stop having to subsidise bit. and they would also stop having to subsidise energy bit. and they
but it would come at a relatively small cost of the government, certainly smaller than previously feared. the outcome, though, is that as things stand, on 1st april, bills will go up, but the good news is that, as i say, the energy price cap is much lower than it has been in previous months. if current trends continue, comejuly, the price cap will be lower than the guarantee, meaning the government will be able to stop subsidising bills and the bills should start to come down a little bit. and they would also stop having to subsidise energy companies, wouldn t they, because the government compensates energy suppliers with the difference between the guarantee and the cap, assuming that the cap is higher than the guarantee, and that is why the pressure is on the government to keep helping consumers, because they re not having to compensate the energy suppliers by quite so much. exactly, that is right, so the energy price guarantee, which is what is subsidising bills, that is due to stay