Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News At Five 20170331

For brexit negotiations, arguing for a phased approach to the talks. The president of the European Council, donald tusk, insisted the first stage would concentrate on the uks divorce from the union and only when there was sufficient progress would the talks move on. The government had said it wants to discuss its separation and a Future Trade Deal at the same time. Donald tusk appeared to concede that Talks On Trade could begin before the divorce settlement was agreed and said that the European Council will monitor progress closely and determine when sufficient progress has been achieved to allow negotiations to proceed to the next phase. There was a warm tone on a possible future relationship with the document stating that although the uks relationship with the eu. Cannot offer the same benefits as union membership, strong and constructive ties will remain in both sides interest and should encompass more than just trade. But one phrase in the document is likely to cause considerable consternation with a suggestion that spain should be given an effective veto over gibraltars future. The document states, after the uk leaves the union, no agreement between the eu and the uk may apply to the territory of gibraltar without the agreement between the kingdom of spain and the uk. Our europe correspondent, chris morris, sent this report from malta. Time to get serious. Two days ago donald tusk expressed real emotion at the prospect of the uk leaving the eu. This morning, in malta, it was down to business. Hes now sent Draft Negotiating Guidelines to the other 27 countries, setting up tough tone for two years of talks, that mr tusk says could be difficult, complex and sometimes confrontational. The eu says four issues should be discussed first. The rights of citizens, Legal Certainty for businesses, the size of the divorce bill and the border between Northern Ireland and the republic. Only then is it prepared to talk about a future trade relationship. Whilst and only whilst we have achieved sufficient progress on the withdrawal, can we discuss the framework for our future relationship. Starting parallel talks on issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. And mr tusk suggested that the uk would have little say in the matter. What does sufficient progress mean, and who is it, simply the European Council who will define that . It must be clear that eu, as 27, decides if sufficient progress has been achieved. Probably in the autumn. At least i hope so. There was also a warning that the uk should not try to hold separate discussions with individual Member States. Divide and rule, the eu insists, will not be allowed. Plenty for the government to chew on. At a nato meeting in brussels the Foreign Secretary was keen to emphasise the positive. Both sides genuinely want an Ambitious Partnership in the future. We really are moving forward now and theres a lot of goodwill, a lot of willingness to achieve what the Prime Minister has said she wants to achieve, which is an orderly transition and a deep and special partnership between a strong eu and a strong uk. No one ever thought this was going to be easy. This document from the eu shows how many hurdles there are going to be along the road. And if there were to be a Transition Phase between full membership and a totally new relationship in the future, it suggests that the uk would have to accept that current laws and Budget Contributions would continue to apply. Our deputy Political Editor John Pienaarjoins Us now from westminster. It has been a busy week, but you could suspect where we now is that we have two different Negotiating Parties with two different timetables as well as two different objectives . Thats right. Dont think anyone expected donald tusks First Response to be especially encouraging. And we listen to the report there, it has not been. Downing street today have taken a fairly calm and cordial tone ive heard borisjohnson there. Its like marking time and hoping somewhere down the line to turn the negotiations in the direction of the British Government. As for the points on the table, ministers are confident they can agree to maintain the rights of europeans in this country now, just as they can maintain the rights of brits living on the continent. On the question of the border with ireland, there is a british Policy Commitment to Maintaina British Policy Commitment to maintain a softer border, which is in the customs union. The practicalities are not so easy. Theres no easy way to achieve that. A big political problem and a tough nut to crack will be the eu budget settlement. Any large bill will run into a huge wall of resistance among hostile conservative mps here at westminster. Some sort of deadlock is easy to imagine and when it comes to the British Public, to British Public opinion, after all that talk about taking back control, it may not be easy to give British Public opinion on the side when the negotiations lead to give as well as take. That could be as Big A Challenge as anything else. Some of those big things youve talked about could have been foreseen. We will have an argument about money and ireland, all those things. Gibraltar. Did anybody who now was coming . Yes. It was always envisaged that the starters of gibraltar was one of the first things on the table because its one of the highs things on the agenda of the spanish government. It is a long running dispute, the sovereignty of the island and we expect that to be a big thing in discussions British Government ministers accept they have to find a way around that. There is no talk of conceding the sovereignty of gibraltar. But some way we listen to ministers behind the scenes will have to be found to placate or appease that spanish opinion, because they do have a veto among the other 27 members of the european side of negotiations and they can simply say no, they will not wish these talks to run into the sand simply over that. To return to the point we began with, when you with the french papers, the german papers, the dutch papers, the german papers, the dutch papers, theyve been full of arab politics and elections and as a priority, getting on with brexit is clearly this governments priority. It was much less so for some of the big governments and the rest of europe . If you take take the german government, theyve got elections coming up. The future of the eu is going to be one of the big items in that election. Brexit plays a part in that, but not an overwhelming part. So in some ways, some of these Upcoming Elections will have to come and go before we can see more clearly the way forward in these brexit talks. They will be a long game. A two year deadline before the divorce as to be finalised and even that timetable is compressed when you think it will ta ke compressed when you think it will take a while to get started on all have to be time at the end to get it agreed around the continent of europe. A lot to be done in a short space of time and it will be tough going. Thank you. And coming up at half past five, ill be joined by former Foreign Office senior Civil Servant, sir simon fraser, to get his thoughts on the weeks events. Waiting times will be longer for routine operations, such as hip and knee replacements, as a trade off for improvements in a e performance, and better treatment in other areas. Thats according to the head of nhs england, simon stevens, whos unveiling a strategy for the next two years. He says increasing Patient Demand and the growth in new treatments, mean that choices have to be made. Our Health Correspondent Dominic Hughes reports. How have you been feeling . Not too bad, thank you. At the age of 97, iris needs a little help, especially after recovering from a recent illness. So her gp called a local nhs service that provides the right care in the right place and for iris, that was home. The treatment at home has been absolutely wonderful. They have said, you need a commode, it was there straightaway. You need a walking frame, it was there straightaway. Without help at home, iris might have ended up here, in her local a e. One of the big challenges facing busy Emergency Departments like this one is how to reduce the sheer pressure in terms of numbers of patients who are attending, particularly those frail, older people who might be treated at home. So todays announcement reflects a broader push to keep people out of hospital whenever possible. Nhs england leaders are taking stock of progress since their five year plan was published in 2014. A new strategy also focuses on improved cancer survival rates, increased access to Mental Health therapies and recruiting more gps. But nhs leaders are warning that faced with limited resources, there will be a trade off between these improvements and other services. For example, people may have to wait longer for nonurgent operations. There is a solution and that lies in encouraging different Component Parts of the nhs to work much more closely together along with local authorities and social services to help us get people out of hospital. But medical unions say patients with conditions such as Heart Disease or chronic pain will be affected. These things are being de prioritised at the moment whereas i think that to an individual patient, the important thing is to be able to treat every patient on time as to what they need. And today, its clearer than ever the money available to the Health Service means tough decisions are being made. There is only a fixed pot of money for the nhs and social care and we cant meet all of the priorities that matter to patients and the public without additional funding so the onus is on politicians, nhs leaders to start a discussion with the public about what the nhs can afford. A crisis in a e, the collapse of social care and financial problems have all threatened to blow the nhs england five year plan off course. Today, the Health Service is trying to refocus on what works for patients like iris. A letter has been delivered to Downing Street, formally requesting a second independence referendum for scotland. In it, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon repeats her call for a vote within the next two years. The Prime Minister has already said it wont happen before brexit is complete. Our scotland correspondent james shaw is in edinburgh. These politicians love sending gauge of the letters, dont they . This one arrived this afternoon, not hand delivered like the article 50 letter, but into the Prime Ministers inbox this afternoon. In it, Nicola Sturgeon says she wishes the Prime Minister well in her talks with the eu, but at the end of that process she fundamentally believes that scotland should have a say on whether they accept those terms or whether they accept those terms or whether they accept those terms or whether they try and do Something Different as an independent country. There is also a sense that sturgeon is trying to up the rhetoric a bit with theresa may. Saying this isnt just me, think i want another referendum, but it is the will of the Scottish Parliament as elected by the scottish people. She explained a bit more to my colleague earlier. In my view the will of the Scottish Parliament must be respected, it is a question of not if it is respected, but how. If the Prime Minister chooses not to do that, i will set out to parliament over the next few weeks what i intend to do to make sure the will of the parliament is respected and we make progress towards giving the people of scotland a choice. In terms of the politics and economics, does it rather suit the First Minister of scotland to be able to say, look, we voted to stay and we want a second referendum, there is westminster telling us we cant have it, that is typical . It seems the politics. Thats what people have concluded. Her critics say she thrives on the grievance and say, look, here is what london isnt stopping is doing. She does though in her letter also hold out something of an olive branch saying, look, we agree that now is not the time and saying she doesnt want to do this while negotiations are going on about brexit, but after, as the terms of the negotiation become clearer, she thinks there needs to be more conversation and eventually, a referendum. But as you say, Downing Street has been perfectly clear that for now, it is not even entertaining the prospect of talking about another referendum. You heard sturgeon say in the clip there that she has a plan, a rough idea of what she has a plan, a rough idea of what she will do if the Prime Minister continues to reject the demands, but for now, we have both sides sticking to their guns, sticking to their lines and it is not clear who will blink first. Thank you. The defence secretary, sir michael fallon, has denied a report that a Funding Shortfall has left the armed forces trying to find an extra billion pounds in savings every year for the next ten years. The claims based on an analysis by the National Audit office and conversations with seven serving and former senior officers. The defence secretary says he accepts the budget is tight but no cuts have been finally decided. Richard galpin reports. The armed forces are in the midst of a major upgrade. New Aircraft Carriers, planes and submarines on order. But all this now reportedly leaving a £10 billion hole in the defence ministrys budget. The report has come just as the defence secretary, sir michael fallon, holds talks here with his us counterpart, james mattis. The americans want all nato Member States to have well funded Defence Budgets and therefore effective military forces. And there are now fears that the reported Budget Problem here could lead to cuts to the Royal Marines. And sir michael has not ruled this out. The royal navy is growing over all, growing by around 400, because the royal navy is getting new ships, new submarines, and then it is up to the first sea lord as to the number of sailors he has and Royal Marines he has. The estimated price tag for the royal navys Dreadnought Submarines increased by £620 million between 2015 and 2016. The project will take several decades to complete. And the cost of the f 35 joint strike fighters, bought from the United States, has increased by £843 million. It is still not known when the new Aircraft Carriers will be commissioned. Some of our major potential opponents like iran, china and russia are improving their capabilities day by day. We are not matching those capabilities, nor are we providing the technologies that are needed to suppress some of their systems. At a separate meeting today in brussels, nato Foreign Ministers are Holding Talks with the us secretary of state, rex tillerson. Britain is one of a minority of Member States which does meet its commitment of spending 2 of gdp on defence. Right now, Hundreds Of British and other nato troops are in estonia and other areas bordering russia. Part of an operation to counter russias current aggressive foreign policy. This is a time when nato needs to be particularly strong. Richard galpin, bbc news at lancaster house. This is Bbc News At Five the headlines the president of the European Council at donald tusk rules out initial discussions on a Future Trade Deal with the uk until progress been made on terms of separation. Expect longer waits for hip and knee replacements and other routine operations. Nhs england said it isa routine operations. Nhs england said it is a trade off for betty a e and cancer care. The government denies reports of a £10 billion hole in britains Defence Budget and admits there will be more cuts. And in sport, Manchester United Defenders Philjones and Chris Smalling are confirmed to be out for the long term. Both picked up injuries during International Duty with england. Venus williams is outclassed and the first british woman has made the miami open. I will be back with more just after 530. The former Us National Security advisor, Michael Flynn, has offered to testify on russian interference in the american election, in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Michael flynn was sacked in february after misleading the white house about his conversations with a russian envoy. His lawyer says that general flynn has a story to tell, but needs to guard against unfair prosecution. This morning President Trump described the investigation as a witch hunt and backed Michael Flynns call for immunity. Gary odonoghue is our washington correspondent and we can speak to him now. It is obvious, you do not ask for immunity from prosecution unless you fear there may be something you could be prosecuted for . And what is more, Michael Flynn in his own words last september, when talking about the clintons and some of her staffers said you dont as for immunity from prosecution unless you properly committed a crime. So there are some words that will come back to haunt him i think in the next few weeks. He clearly thinks he has something to say and the implication is that its something pretty explosive and he wants to say it to either the Senate Intelligence committee or the house intelligence committee. But he wants to protect himself, because its been known as the fbi enquiry into that connection and a fuse the work ordination, potential coordination between the russian government and the trump campaign, so what he has to say it will be about being close to russia for a long time and he has been criticised for his links with russia, so we will see if he gets granted that wish. There are reports floating around the us media at the moment that senators have rejected that idea and that is not confirmed at this stage and the bbc did just contact mr flynns lawyer who would not comment and these committees in congress will be concerned about potentially upsetting the apple cart in terms of an fbi prosecution. President trump, well, he has been using the traditional method of communicating with the world, which is twitter and i think we have it open here. He has been saying he stands by his manner, it is a witchhunt and an excuse for a big election loss of historic proportions by the media and the democrats. But the thing is, people get involved in these kind of bargains when those who are investigating think there are bigger fish, someone further up the food chain. As an ex National Security adviser, was the exchange between the president somewhat short . Absolutely right, and he was a night Defence Intelligence and he was head of the National Security agency and close to trump during the campaign and what you are seeing and people keep using the watergate word and all that kind of thing, but what you are seeing is the drip drip of this stuff, bit by bit. And of course, it creeps ever closer to the west wing of the white house and that is what they will really have to worry about in there, that all of a sudden, people start to think that maybe it is worth us trying to cut a deal with people so we can avoid any trouble for ourselves. Thats the problem they have. Thank you. Ken livingstone has said hes hopeful labour will not expel him for comments about hitler and a jewish state. The ex london mayor is facing an internal disciplinary hearing over his controversial claim the german dictator supported zionism in the 1930s. The two day Misconduct Panel is expected to deliver a verdict. Our Political Correspondent mark lobel is outside the hearing in central london. I take it theres been a development, but could you remind us what its all about . This is about the ongoing Anti Semitism Row in the labour party and Ken Livingstone waded into it last april as you say, by suggesting that hitler supported zionism. He says its historical fa ct. Zionism. He says its historical fact. He was suspended straightaway after making those comments, upsetting many jewish members after making those comments, upsetting manyjewish members of the labour party and that suspension was going to be followed by disciplinary action and that is what we are seeing today to find out whether he will be expelled from the party and there are two macro issues they are looking out. The first is whether he affected the electoral fortunes the following month, last may, any local elections, and the second is because he is reiterated those comments, they will have to use this as the first test of an inquiry into Anti Semitism which was reported last summer, called the track about a report, the recommendations have come out and if i could read you two macro, Labour Member should resist the use of hitler, nazi and holocaust metaphors or comparisons are measured in a excuse for denial, approval or minimisation of the holocaust. This will be the first test of those recommendations in light of what Ken Livingstone has been saying since then. Thank you. West Midlands Police have charged a 23 year old man with a double murder in stourbridge. Aaron barley is alleged to have fatally stabbed Tracey Wilkinson and her 13 year old son pierce. Hes also charged with the Attempted Murder of the boys father, peter. The driver of the bin lorry that crashed in glasgow killing six people has been banned from driving for three years. Harry clarke was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and will be tagged forfor months. The 60 year old had admitted culpable and Reckless Driving nine months after the fatal crash in 2014. Our scotland correspondent lorna gordon reports. Three days before christmas and in a Glasgow Street packed with shoppers, a bin lorry driven by harry clarke ran out of control. Hed lost consciousness and for 19 seconds the vehicle careered through the busy City Centre Thoroughfare knocking down pedestrians. Six people died. Erin mcquade, her grandparents jack and lorraine sweeney, jacqueline mortan, Stephanie Tait and gillian ewing. The Fatal Accident Enquiry that followed found the tragedy could have been avoided if clarke hadnt lied about his history of blackouts. He had his licence revoked on medical grounds. Nine months after the crash though, clarke was spotted by neighbours driving out of a car parked near his home. He pleaded guilty to culpable and Reckless Driving. In sendings him, sheriff, martinjones, said clarke had been wholly irresponsible and reprehensible his vehicle while his licence was revoked. He said, in so doing, the 60 year old had placed the public at risk. Are you sorry, mr clarke . Harry clarke was never prosecuted over the Bin Lorry Crash and an attempt by some of the families of those who died to bring a private prosecution, failed. Clarke stated through his lawyer today that nothing said in mitigation was intended to diminish the losses suffered by so many people as a result of that accident and said it was a gross error ofjudgment to drive his car nine months later, knowing he was unfit to drive. Lorna gordon, bbc news at the Sheriff Court in glasgow. Hotels, restaurants and the Tourism Sector are warning that theyll face a Recruitment Crisis if eu immigration is heavily restricted after britain leaves the eu. The British Hospitality Association says it relies on 60,000 eu workers a year and it will a decade to recruit enough british workers to fill those posts. Our industry correspondent, john moylan reports. Here we go. At butlins in bognor regis, they are gearing up for the summer season. Around 40 of the staff here are from outside the uk and the boss says they would face a Recruitment Crisis if brexit causes that supply of workers to be cut off. If the tap was just turned off straightaway, that would be very difficult. We are where we are at the moment, we rely on a third of our workplace from european employees. To be able to turn that straight off and replace it straight off would be very difficult. We are in the hospitality industry, we are in the service industry, you actually have to employ people who like to serve people. Tourism and hospitality accounts for around 10 of the economy. Now a new report is warning that restrictions on Foreign Labour could hit it harder than any other sector. The uks Hospitality Sector employs around 3 million workers, but its highly reliant on overseas staff. 24 of the workforce are eu migrants. They could face a shortfall of 60,000 workers a year if immigration is tightly controlled. The industry wants to reduce its dependence on eu workers. Its new Ten Year Strategy includes recruiting more unemployed and Older Workers in the uk. One thing we have to do in the United Kingdom is to actually tackle the perception of careers in our industry, which isnt necessarily the same as it is in france, switzerland, austria or germany. Hospitality careers there are actually seen as a career of choice. The government says that while it will End Free Movement as it is now, it will design a new Immigration System that is in the national interest. John moylan, bbc news. Time for a look at the weather. Heres darren bett. The best of the weather this weekend will be on sunday. Plenty of april showers on saturday. Theres been sunshine today, lifting temperatures to about 70 degrees. The rain is slow moving in scotland and his showery in wales and the south west. It will be quite wet tea tonight and overnight. Showery bands affecting Northern England and into wales. Try for much of scotland and it will be dry for eastern england. Not cold overnight or as warm as it was last night, which was very mild. Showers from the start across northern and Western Areas and showers could develop anywhere really in the daytime. They get going in the afternoon in the south east and east anglia. Sunshine in between i will i winds, warmerfor a while and showers arrive late and make could be heavy and possibly thundery. Chilly starts on sunday, but it should be dry. Winds will delight and theres some warmer in the sun at this time of year and will i winds each of your pleasant once again. This is bbc news at 5 the headlines president tusk outlines the eu strategy, with trade talks beginning only after sufficient progress is made on the divorce deal. Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time, as suggested by some in the uk, will not happen. Expect longer waits for hip and knee replacements and other routine operations nhs england say its a trade off for better a e and cancer care. The government denies reports of a £10 billion hole in britains Defence Budget, but admits there will be will more cuts to come. Lets get more now on our main story the eu has published Draft Guidelines setting out its approach to the brexit negotiations. The document suggests talks on a trade deal can only begin once sufficient progress is made on a separation settlement. With me to give us his thoughts on the weeks events is sir simon fraser who was the Foreign Offices senior Civil Servant until 2015 and former head of the uk diplomatic service. It has been quite a week, hasnt it . A number of themes. To put it simply, has it been we are going to be superficially nice because we wa nt be superficially nice because we want a good deal but we are going to set out both sides tough Negotiating Positions . It has marked a new chapter in the brexit story. Instead of talking about it we are going to start doing it. I think both sides have approached it in a pretty responsible way, avoiding drawing very clear red lines, setting out their positions but leaving a bit of flexibility to allow discussions to start. It is the beginning of a long negotiation and people are avoiding locking themselves into much. We can get to specifics about timetables and donald tusk in a moment. I spent some time in other parts of europe this month the past month, they are much more relaxed about it in one sense than we are, in terms of the timetable. They are looking to the french elections. They have just seen french elections. They have just seen elections in the netherlands, german elections and so on, we are in there somewhere but not top of the pile is. It has been a top issue for us for some time but there are other things happening in europe. What will happen now is the focus of discussion will move away from just london to brussels and other european capitals. They are going to become much more directly involved as they now negotiate these guidelines and then start the more detailed mandate for the discussions that will take place over the next two years. Its true, they have a lot of other things on the agenda, elections, migration issues and the eurozone. But brexit is a big issue for eve ryo ne but brexit is a big issue for everyone that has to be sorted out. Without a german chancellor or french president , with that hanging over us french president , with that hanging over us its hard to see how much progress can be made. There is some work to be done to set the agenda and work out the process. I think officials can do that. Really this meditation wont start untiljune, by the time the mandate has been agreed on the european side. That will be after the french president ial election. You are right, the german elections in september, the real politicalface of this negotiation wont begin until the end of the year. Of this negotiation wont begin until the end of the yearlj of this negotiation wont begin until the end of the year. I wonder what you made of the linkage question. Were talking about the eu but also security arrangements, about nato as well. The times made a lot of that story this week, suggesting that the relationship on what were prepared to do with security and trade deals, which may have some pitfalls if you pursue it too far. I think some were trying to make the case the British Government were trying to use this asa government were trying to use this as a threat. I dont think this is the case. I think what the British Government was doing was pointing out if we dont get an agreement on brexit it will affect the economic and broader relationship, and that would be in the interests of either side. I think they were just pointing out a fact than trying to make some hostile statements. How far do you think the many members of the public its going to get quite boring, actually . It will be nontariff Trade Barriers and very technical stuff that frankly most of us technical stuff that frankly most of us dont have the time or inclination to understand. Us dont have the time or inclination to understandlj us dont have the time or inclination to understand. I think there is a risk it will go through technical phases. I compare it to peeling an onion, you take one layer of skin off and discover another layer beneath you didnt know was there. It is true, it will be for there. It is true, it will be for the experts, but we have to all follow it because the future of this country, the future of europe, it affects jobs and our ability to travel, things like air services. So although it might be quite boring day by day, what lies behind it is important for everyone. What do you make of the Gibraltar Question . That has been a thorn in the side of the spanish governments for decades. The Fa Ct Spanish governments for decades. The fact the Gibraltar Question came up today with an expected by many. It demonstrates the range of issues at sta ke demonstrates the range of issues at stake here. Gibraltar is very important to us, as it is important for spain and its going to have to be. We have to find a way of dealing with the question of gibraltar in the interests of the people of gibraltar as we go through negotiation. Thank you. The Flying Scotsman was back on one of britains most scenic tracks this morning as it marked the re opening of the settle to carlisle rail line. The train took the route through the Yorkshire Dales and the eden valley, a year after a major landslip closed it. Danny savage is in appleby for us. What is going on there . Good afternoon from north yorkshire, where in the next 15 minutes or so for the Flying Scotsman they will be pulling the special charter train at this station to get some water from the tower here behind us. Lots of people here on the Platform Waiting to get the photo opportunity. This isa to get the photo opportunity. This is a railway line that hasnt had any through traffic for some 16 months. There has been a real determination since then and a lot of money spent to get this line open again. At lunchtime today, one of the most famous names in the world of steam arrived at appleby, a station on one of the most Famous Rail Lines in britain. After being closed for 16 months, the settle to Carlisle Route is open again. Everyone has a personal reason for being here. I think itsjust childhood memories. The smoke, the dirt, the grime, the coal, coal dust, everything. When you think you had the bus services, lately, its been amazing how we coped. Its an ever changing scene. You can come up here in the winter, fabulous. Come back in the summer, completely different picture. And there are so many villages on the line to explore. We are just coming into langwathby, lovely village. This line is famous for its landscape. It runs through the high pennines in the Yorkshire Dales national park, over the Ribblehead Viaduct and on into the Beautiful Eden Valley in cumbria. But a landslip south of carlisle left it closed to through traffic until today. Network rail said the £23 million repairjob is the most challenging project they have undertaken in their 15 year history. A year ago we had a landslide of half a Million Tonnes of earth slipping into the eden gorge. Weve done a really complicated repair, weve driven 226 steel encased piles down into the bedrock below. We put 6000 tonnes of concrete on top and weve reinstated the railway. And today we are open for business. Although this wonderful, old locomotive is attracting all the headlines today, the big issue for the more remote communities along this line is theyve got their Main Transport link back and that means a return of visitors and business. Whistle built in the 18705, threatened with closure in the 1980s, this old fashioned, but much loved Railway Route is open again. A new era, celebrated old style. Dont be under the impression that from now on there will always be stea m from now on there will always be steam trains running on this line. The Everyday Services will still be those Diesel Sprinter Units you see around the country, but there will be charter trains, steam trains running up and down the line as well and they havent been able to do so for the last 16 months because of that closure. Its Perfect Timing for this line to reopen, heading into the easter holidays and that in the summer. People living around here hope people will start using the services and it will bring more visitors back. There is certainly a decent crowd here waiting for the Flying Scotsman to come in here this evening. Thank you. This is bbc news at 5 the headlines the president of the European Council, donald tusk, rules out initial discussions on a Future Trade Deal with the uk, until progress has been made on the terms of separation. Expect longer waits for hip and knee replacements and other routine operations nhs england say its a trade off for better a e and cancer care. The government denies reports of a £10 billion hole in britains Defence Budget, but admits there will be will more cuts to come. An update on the Market Numbers for you heres how londons and frankfurt ended the day. And in the the United States this is how the dow and the nasdaq are getting on. Both up a shade. Lets get the sports news now with tim haig. Thank you. A full premier League Fixture list this weekend, but a couple of Manchester United players wont be taking part. Jose mourinho told us the injuries sustained by Chris Smalling and philjones on england duty last week are long term. Jones picked up a toe injury ina long term. Jones picked up a toe injury in a training around tackle which involved Chris Smalling. Chris smalling has been pictured with a leg brace after an injury he also suffered in training. Aston villas neil taylor is desperately sorry for the tackle that broke Seamus Colemans leg, according to his club manager steve bruce. Taylor was sent off for his challenge against the Republic Of Ireland last weekend in a world cup qualifier. Fifa have opened proceedings against taylor and could result in a three game ban instead of the usual one game. Celtic could win Scottish Premiership this evening if aberdeen lose. A victory at broadwood for celtic to wait until they play on sunday but the aberdeen manager admits its only delaying the inevitable. We all agree celtic will win the league, its just when. We just want to continue to chalk up points from benefit. We have plenty to look forward to. Nine league games left and each one is more important. Johanna konta will climb toa important. Johanna konta will climb to a career high seven and in the rankings if she beats Caroline Wozniacki in the Miami Open Final this weekend. Johanna konta beat venus williams, to become the first british woman to reach the final. Amazing to think. Johanna konta was just six years old when williams first won this tournament 19 years ago. Johanna konta has said venus is one of her all time heroes but dispatched her opponent in straight sets. Defending champion judd trump sets. Defending Championjudd Trump is out of the china open snooker. He lost 53 to the world number 76. His opponent had breaks of 100 and 106. The 22 year old takes on Mark Williams for a place in the final. That is all the sport for now. Next it is time for the film review. Hello and welcome to the film review on bbc news. To take us through this weeks Cinema Releases is mark kermode. So mark, what do we have this week . A very mixed week. We have graduation, a low key and intense drama. We have ghost in the shell, controversial live adaptation of an anime. And free fire, the new film from ben wheatley. Ben wheatley, we are both bands of ben graduation. From ben wheatley. Ben wheatley, we are both bands of Ben Graduationm is from cristian mungiu, the romanian director of 4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days, which we reviewed a short while ago. This is another low key a short while ago. This is another low key and very intense drama. The story is a doctor, his daughter is on her way to school, attacked, she gets a broken wrist and the doctor is simply worried it will affect her exams. He is desperate for her to get great exam grades because he wa nts to get great exam grades because he wants to be able to go and study in britain. He is convinced she needs to get away because the place they live is not somewhere that he wants his daughter to grow up. All he can focus on is this desire for her to get good exam grades. As a result of it he gets drawn into a web of duplicity and corruption. Somebody knows somebody who could perhaps ensure the exam grades are ok but only in return for a favour for a deputy mayor who needs to be moved up deputy mayor who needs to be moved up in his wait for a transplant. The daughter, understandably, is not pleased about the idea of essentially cheating. Here is a clip. Very intense, isnt it . It is. Single shot, one at shot perth scene. What i love about this, a Perfect Blend of personal and political. On one hand the story of a father and daughter, on the other hand social corruption is everywhere. Every conversation is, that building is being going on for ages, yes it will be a backroom deal, isnt everything . Its a film in which the personalities of the characters completely draw you in and you believe in their personal stories but you also understand it is telling a wider story,