hello and welcome to this special programme. the emma barnett show on bbc radio 5 live and joanna gosling on the bbc news channel are joining forces to take questions from you — our viewers and listeners. i'm emma barnett and i'm joanna gosling. it's just under two months to go now until the 29th march — the date on which the uk is due to leave the eu. over the next half an hour or so we'll be answering your questions about how life might look after brexit with the clock ticking down. given the current uncertainty, is there anything you can do to get ready — whether you're a business, or a private individual? and how might life be different after 11pm on that all—importa nt friday. you can get your questions in now — use the hashtag #bbcaskthis, if you want to text us, the 5 live text number is 85058 or you can email us on askthis@bbc.co.uk. joining us to help answer those questions we have two experts with us.

arne mielken is from the institute of export & international trade and has worked with the world trade organisation on different projects. and the bbc‘s reality check correpondent chris morris is with us. and bbc business correspondent colletta smith is in trafford park where she'll be taking to businesses and experts about what they're doing to prepare. hello everyone and welcome to the north—west. iron in this huge warehouse which is mostly empty at the moment and the reason is because this company are just taken on extra space to help other businesses have room to for brexit. thank you, we will talk to you later. let's speak to harriet, she's from manchester and works for a pr firm. hello. i work for a pr firm and me and my partner spend about £200—£300 a month on food.

what impact will a no deal have on food prices and if so how much? what would be -- make you see to this. we are all concerned about food places. it depends how fast the supermarkets are passing their duties and jt point to consumers. when we have a deal scenario, the uk will impose customs duty on suit and medicines and so on. coming from the eu and we have 40% of goods coming from the eu to the uk and so we will px to 80. in addition, we will have to deal with additional red tape. # extra

duty. that will have a cost. as you had just shown, there is warehouse piece and someone has to that so there will be viennese costs being passed on to the supermarket chains. how long will the la there pricing strategy to maintain their places and we will the upgrade places? i hear it the price rise mate be imminent. so consumers might feel we have to spend more. can you give is an example, if we used a tin of beans for example, 40p at the moment are much could it rise by? take for example, imported from italy, we do not duty on it for the moment but when we leave there would be an end position of 18% so if you take 40p,

the vat retweet be iop more. that is just one tinge. so take i million tins we consume every decent impact could be quite severe. and it would hurt people in their pockets. let me bring increase on this, what is the wto ? bring increase on this, what is the wto? the wto is basically the place where countries gather to set the rules for international trade. there are 164 member states with events. if they do not have the cheat agreements which give then enhanced trading status, they work on wto rules. —— treat agreements. if you look around the world, like we do not have a deal with the united states but we would deal with them

on wto rules and with the european unions so we deal with them on a baseline and then i doubled —— lots of say drills these sectors. —— site rules. i think economist way that no country on your trees just on the basis rules. thank you. bob is a driving instructor in hastings. good morning. i see it as the beginning of a good relationship rather than the end of a bad one. if we left without a deal, how long would it be until we start signing deals and to get freedom of movement? and cooperation on important

matters, you have got to ask, how much could we have already achieved if we started in 2016 with a blank sheet of people? let see if chris can answer this question is. the honest answer is no one knows how quickly we can same deals but the implication is correct, we cannot be oi'i implication is correct, we cannot be on 110 implication is correct, we cannot be on no deal forever because we need an economic relationship with other countries. no deal is notjust about to read, we always focus on cheat and tariffs and borders but it will also mean things like police access to security databases across the eu. —— trade. that will not be there automatically any more sort no deal fix cds pipes of the economy and society as well so yes, we need to start making deals. it partly depends on how key or sick new deal proves to be. it is a bit of viral

of the dais. —— how key artic then your deal proves to be. it may push people back to the table more quickly. in some ways you can characterise no deal and a withdrawal agreement delay because you cannot opt out of either the european nine international economies. how would it work in a practical sense, with countries being negotiated with one at a time 01’ being negotiated with one at a time or lots of cheap deals trying to be negotiated at the same time? talking about treat, in the eu it would be asa about treat, in the eu it would be as a whole. —— trade. for example citizens' rights, that is not cove red citizens' rights, that is not covered at eu level. we are already seeing the eu doing bilateral report —— talks with different countries about whether rates of citizens may be in the event of an ordeal. it is

case— by—case but be in the event of an ordeal. it is case—by—case but eight say that, if we leave the eu is no deal we are casting ourselvesjust we leave the eu is no deal we are casting ourselves just on a resolution anyway but it means we can start straightaway negotiating the deal is with other countries and end the world. one difficulty is that those countries, the first thing they will want to know is what will your relationship be with europe in the future because many of the companies that do business here reliant the uk as being the point of entry into the eu single market, which is this huge supermarket of more than 500 million people. another point bob wanted to know if we started off the blank sheet of paper two years ago, how much could have been done already? we have already started negotiating. we started preliminary talks with many countries in the world. usually trade deals sing—along time to negotiate. if you take her and this

is the trade agreement that we want to say with the eu, if you compare that with canada day that took up to seven years. and more comprehensive unique it, the longer it will take. it also takes goodwill and trust between the negotiating partners. if you like —— each other you will get to idealfaster you like —— each other you will get to ideal faster but if there is mistrust, it might be impossible to reach a deal. i am not saying that isa reach a deal. i am not saying that is a case for the european union but if you look at the past with the us, we we re if you look at the past with the us, we were still closed and then we stopped it. it is difficult to see but the minimum two years and a maximum ten years even longer. thank you for those questions. james is calling from darlington. we did see to get in touch with personal questions. what is your question? my

girlfriend is spanish and has lupus so needs medical care. can she still get care if there's no deal? esteems because my girlfriend is already in their country, she is a spanish citizen and the government is saying that citizens who had already you before the 29th of march even with an ordeal, their rates will remain esteem which includes access to health care. what is more problematic is people who visit occasionally, if they are not resident here before the 29th of march and there was no deal, they would be in a more difficult situation but if i understood the question correctly, james's girlfriend lives here and has been resident throughout time so in the short—term nothing will change. in the longer term, we would need to know what the future relationship will be between the uk in different

european countries. there are obviously a lot of spanish citizens here and a lot of uk citizens and speed so you would hope a lot of common—sense will prevail and there will be sensible access to health care. in the immediate aftermath, it is one of the things they want to park because there are still many other issues to deal with. does that a nswer other issues to deal with. does that answer your question, james? yes, it does. thank you. that is what we are trying to do, and so your questions. geoff from cambridgeshire. what do you want to ask? what happens in the case of a no deal? does a hard border magically appear overnight? that is something which has been a

lot of focus on. what is the answer to that? the implication is no border is going to magically appear. no one is going to weak up on march the 30th and suddenly find by wiring checkpoints. and it all the cds politics around the irish border, there is element of bluff, everyone seeing who is going to put up the ha rd seeing who is going to put up the hard border? that is one of the arguments from the brexiteers, we should go to ireland and the eu to say we will not put up a hard border and if you see you will not do it, winners the problem? difficulty is thatis winners the problem? difficulty is that is fine. fud is nothing will change but there will be pressure from the european union to take stuff coming into the single market. —— for the first few days nothing will change. so we do need to keep talking to the european union. if we

play hard tactics on the border, they will play hard tactics on other things. it is no guarantee what will happen but we can safely see that on day one, you will not see hard border across the border with ireland. thank you for all of your questions so far. it's also businesses who are affected by the prospect of a no—deal brexit. many of them are having to step up their no deal preparations. our business correspondent colletta smith is in trafford park in greater manchester with more — colletta. thank you. it is a busy day here and it is interesting that we are in this particular location because using trafford park, this company who owns this please have bought this brand—new warehouse and are renting it out to other companies as

space. it is empty at the moment because it's a covering vendor and the hope a lot of this piece, half of its, will be fill in the next few weeks as different companies use it to stockpile ahead of whatever outcomes we will be seeing the brexit process. it is empty at the moment but it will be a different picture over the coming weeks and months because a lot of businesses are only now starting to think realistically about what might happen from the start of april and what happens in that brexit process. i have a couple of guests with immediate city. thank you for joining me. you are both welcome. one question from one of five years seeing he makes small chocolates, he

imports material from europe's seeing he makes small chocolates, he imports materialfrom europe's and any exports there pushed chocolates back to you, he has been struggling to getan back to you, he has been struggling to get an answer from the government website or anyone about what he will have to terms of tardis when it comes to those wto rules. —— tardis. what will he have to if we do not getan what will he have to if we do not get an deal? can you give him an answer. it is quite a complex and so, face it, each individual ingredient to another court. for chocolate, it is even more complex because there are particular requirements and the wheat and agricultural quality of the chocolate. so he will need to understand from his suppliers the exact nature of his ingredients,

hmrc should help with classification of the product and the finished goods will have a different code for exporting. it is certainly the keys that businesses will have to get more scenario with customs legislation than they did before. it may be worth exploring inward processing relief so far businesses which are importing from unit, manufacturing in the uk and exporting as a finished product to you, they may be able to get their duty liability mitigated but that is something they need to talk to a specialist about because of the number of different is to approach that. i hope that helped angie but a lot of businesses are facing that, time to get answer when the after specialist questions? my height was eight to angie and it is a similar experience to members. —— my heart goes out. a lot of people will

become exporters overnight on the 29th of march. it is a good thing he's talking to advisers but there are some import and export specialists who could really help him solve those issues. companies are currently exported list of the world already. especially enlisted and drink industry, it is small businesses who will be importing exporting suddenly. yes, overnight. but there are companies eight near and said additions like errors which can help. i hope that helps andrew and his porsche chocolates and any business there is help, it isjust about looking on the right places. -- is about looking on the right places. —— is posh chocolates. about looking on the right places. -- is posh chocolates. thank you. hopefully we are answering a lot of your questions. sacha in kent. will i, as a british citizen, lose my freedom of movement rights? and will eu citizens retain their rights to the rest of the eu and eea, so in effect british citizens are losing

their freedom of movement, and eu citizens access to one country? chris, can you answer that? very briefly, yes, straightaway if there is no deal or if that is ideal after transition period, eu citizens will no longer had the right to come and settle in the uk and uk citizens will lose that rate for all other 27 countries. ian via twitter. will we still be able to import expensive german cars like porsches, audis and bmws tariff—free? yes, and the answer is no. when they come from the european union i think it isa come from the european union i think it is a 10% tariff on these so the a nswer it is a 10% tariff on these so the answer is no. there will be tardis if you want to drive around britain thatis if you want to drive around britain that is german cars. michelle in manchester.

she has got in touch with text. when i go to my local supermarket there is a section selling american products — eg sweets and cereals for £1.50 or more. they're imported from the states — is that a sign of things to come, that premium goods from eu countries will start getting more expensive if we start importing them? iamafee i am a fee that may very well be the case. if you travel to switzerland calmer nor rear switzerland and look at places, the quite high. —— switzerland, or linkedin stains. so the answer is yes. nigel in norfolk. good morning. i regularly travel to poland. i have a card that apparently gives me health cover over there on the same terms as a polish national. will the card still be valid in may when i next go? chris, can you help? the short

a nswer chris, can you help? the short answer is no, it would be if there is no deal. if there was a deal and a transition period, it would still be valid but if we leave on the 29th of march without a deal, the government said it is time to setup and easements with countries like pulling back the moment there is no such easement in place. so if you're travelling to pull and after the 29th of march you will need to buy travel insurance like you would have to do for other countries. people had so many questions on the a nswe rs a re people had so many questions on the answers are not straightforward. there is so much detail which needs to be brought in when you answer these questions and as we hear, there are some things we will not know until it unfolds on the 29th of march. perhaps even later as we heard from the secretary today.

that's all we have time for today — thank you so much to all of you for getting in touch with your calls, texts, tweets and emails. and thank you to our experts arne mielken, chris morris and colletta smith for your contributions to what has been a fascinating special edition of #bbcaskthis, linking up joanna gosling on the bbc news channel and the emma barnett show on bbc radio 5 live. thanks forjoining us — goodbye. now it's time for a look at the weather. cities are all but shutting down across the us midwest as the region shivers in a deadly cold snap known as a polar vortex. at least eight people have been killed in several states as a result of the arctic weather. these pictures are incredible.

temperatures fell to —30c (—22f) in chicago — colder than parts of antarctica — and —37c in north dakota. freezing weather will chill 250 million americans, and 90 million will experience —17c (0f) or below. snow fell throughout wednesday, from the great lakes region into new england; as much as 24in (60cm) was forecast in the state of wisconsin, and 6in in illinois. states of emergency have been declared in the midwestern states of wisconsin, michigan and illinois, and even in the normally warmer deep south states of alabama and mississippi. people are being tilt not to go out for long because these temperatures are still incredibly called and the apodictic to get even colder. we will have the latest in just a few

moments. you are watching bbc news relies and we see goodbye to viewers in scotland. notice time through weather updates. —— know it is time. it is amazing to see what the going threw in the united states. absolutely incredible what is going on in chicago. there is also severe weather here for the rest of the afternoon. we have an amp —— amber warning from the knit offices for south and south—west wheels. rain is knitting and which will turn to snow for the afternoon. some lovely sunshine across scotland for the moment. let us across scotland for the moment. let us focus on the snow for the moment. into that i share, parts of devon, somerset and gloucestershire, that is where the amber warning is in force. significant disruption is

likely. it'll continue to spread to the south—east of england, the south midlands, patchy snow to the north of that but through the night, these are the accumulations we expect, three to 7 degrees in this atheist and three to eat centimetres in parts of the says waste. —— in their south—east. and —— says waste. you're watching bbc newsroom live. these are today's main stories. for the first time, a government

minister acknowledges brexit may have to be delayed. the foreign secretary says extra time could be needed to finalise legislation. if we ended up approving a deal in the days before the 29th of march, then we might need some extra time to pass critical legislation. more than 20,000 physios, pharmacists and paramedics are to be recruited to work alongside gps — to allow doctors to spend more time with patients. temperatures in the uk plummet, making it the coldest night of the winter so far — more snow and freezing temperatures are forecast. meanwhile it's minus 30 in chicago — as cities across the us midwest come to a standstill, in a deadly cold snap — known as a polar vortex. the number of rough sleepers in england falls for the first