Summary

  • David Cameron seeks Polish support for his EU renegotiation proposals during trip to Warsaw

  • Polish PM says she support aspects of the UK's draft blueprint, such as enhanced national sovereignty and competitiveness

  • But Beata Szydlo says other areas, including curbs on EU migrants benefits, need to be 'ironed out'

  • The UK PM moves onto Denmark for talks with counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who gives full backing to his reforms

  • Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says a UN panel's ruling that Julian Assange be allowed to go free is 'ridiculous'

  • The head of the cross-party Remain in EU campaign, Lord Rose, says he expects a substantial win in the referendum

Live Reporting

Angela Harrison

  1. Poland backs Cameron's plans on national sovereignty

    Beata SzydloBBc

    Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has told a joint news conference with David Cameron that she supports his proposals on national sovereignty in his attempts to renegotiate Britain's relationship with the EU.

    Ms Szydlo was speaking in Polish and there was no simultaneous English translation so, at the moment, we are having to rely on what Reuters and other news agencies are saying. 

    We also await with interest confirmation of what she said about the UK's proposed plans to curb benefits for new EU migrants, the main bone of contention between the two countries. 

    Mr Cameron is expected to travel to Denmark later as he tries to gather support for his proposals ahead of a key summit of EU leaders in two weeks time. 

  2. Good morning and look ahead

    Good morning 

    Today David Cameron has travelled to Poland as he tries to win support for his package of reforms aimed at keeping Britain in the EU.

    At a press conference this morning, Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said the country would support David Cameron's proposals on EU membership, according to Reuters.

    In other news, AP is reporting that a UN panel says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arbitrarily detained since 2010.

  3. Thursday summary and look ahead

    After Question Time (see previous post) This Week is coming up at 23:45, with Andrew Neil, Michael Portillo and Alan Johnson digesting the political stories from the last seven days.

    Here's a quick summary of today's developments:

    • None of David Cameron's fellow EU leaders are happy with his reform proposals as they stand, a source close to the negotiations has told the BBC
    • Lord Rose, the leader of the campaign to remain in the EU, has predicted his side will win the referendum "by a substantial margin"
    • Theresa May has admitted fearing she had created a "monster" by setting up police and crime commissioners
    • Donor nations meeting in London have pledged more than $10bn to help Syrians affected by the five-year conflict  

  4. Coming up on Question Time

    Watch on the live coverage tab above from 22:45:

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  5. Lord Rose predicts 'substantial' victory for Remain campaign

    The head of a campaign for the UK to remain in the EU has predicted his side will win the referendum "by a substantial margin".

    Lord Rose is confident "common sense will prevail" in the vote and denied his group represents "project fear".

    The Tory peer and former Marks and Spencer boss chairs the cross-party Britain Stronger in Europe campaign.

    EU exit campaigners dismissed his remarks, saying the "cosy establishment club" did not want change.

    Read the full story

  6. Thursday's round-up

    Here's what's been making the news so far today...

    • None of David Cameron's fellow EU leaders are happy with his reform proposals as they stand, a source close to the negotiations has told the BBC
    • Theresa May has admitted fearing she had created a "monster" by setting up police and crime commissioners   
    • Donor nations meeting in London have pledged more than $10bn to help Syrians affected by the five-year conflict, UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced
    • A UN panel will conclude Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is being "arbitrarily detained" in the UK, the Swedish foreign ministry has said
    • The Labour Party is launching a "listening tour" of the UK to help re-write its immigration policy
    • Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox has publicly apologised after failing to declare to the Commons more than £400,000 in earnings.  

  7. Theresa May feared creating police commissioner 'monster'

    Home Secretary Theresa May has admitted fearing she had created a "monster" by setting up police and crime commissioners in England and Wales.

    She said a number of incidents had given PCCs a "bad name", including criticism by Surrey's Kevin Hurley of his former chief constable Lynne Owens.

    But she also revealed she was planning to extend the powers of PCCs after their elections in May.

    This could include them setting up free schools for "troubled children".

    Read the full story

  8. Clare Short: 'We need to talk to our enemies' about Syria

    BBC News Channel

    Labour former international development secretary Clare Short welcomed pledges of more than $10bn to help Syrians affected by the five-year conflict - but said a ceasefire was now needed.

    She said there were still 13m people inside Syria trying to get out, but "the borders are closed and they are being bombarded".

    "We've got to talk to our enemies, get a ceasefire or this thing is going to go on, the blood, the sacrifice, the anger," she told BBC News.

    Ms Short - international development secretary between 1997 and 2003 - said she had heard stories that some Syrians are so hungry they are handing over their sons to so-called ISIS just for food.

  9. PM 'agrees not to speak about benefits of EU deal until negotiations complete/

    A cabinet source has told BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg that the PM has promised to stop speaking publicly about the benefits of his EU deal until the renegotiations are complete. It follows unhappiness from those cabinet ministers who favour an  EU exit at being "gagged" until after the summit:

    There is agreement that the rules should be the same for both sides, and that no member of the cabinet should speak out until the PM has returned from Brussels with his deal. Downing St have given a renewed guarantee that everyone will be held to those rules equally."

  10. Cameron sidesteps Europe question at Syria press conference

    David Cameron kept the focus on Syria when he was asked about Europe during a press conference following the gathering of world leaders in London.

    I've had the opportunity for lots of very positive meetings here but today is not about Britain and Europe. Today is about Syria.”

  11. Cameron urges Russia to use influence on Syrian regime to end 'barrel bombing'

    Speaking at the Syria donor conference in London, David Cameron stressed that the achievements of the conference were not a solution to the crisis.

    He also urged Russia to use its influence on the Syrian regime "to end indiscriminate attacks". 

    We still need to see a political transition to a new government in Syria that meets the needs of all its people. Brave aid workers still need access to the hundreds of thousands of innocent Syrians stuck in besieged towns. We must urgently redouble our efforts to prevent the intolerable levels of violence against civilians, ensuring all parties in the conflict bring an immediate end to the ongoing violations of international humanitarian law. And we look to Russia to use its influence with the regime to end indiscriminate attacks, especially barrel bombing. Russia should support steps towards a ceasefire as envisaged by the Vienna process and mandated by the United Nations security council."

  12. UN Secretary General thanks Syria's neighbours for 'choosing solidarity over fear'

    David Cameron and Ban Ki-moonGetty Images

    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon continued that the pledges made in London "will enable humanitarian workers to continue reaching millions of people with lifesaving aid".

    The promises of long-term funding and loans mean that humanitarian and development partners will be able to work together to get children back into school, design employment programmes and begin rebuilding infrastructure.The commitment of countries hosting large numbers of refugees to open up their labour markets is a breakthrough. I thank the governments of Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey for choosing solidarity over fear. What will most help the people of Syria is not just food for today, but hope for tomorrow. Yet the parties to the conflict remain deeply divided, even on improving the humanitarian situation."

    Mr Ban stressed that peace talks should not be held "for the sake of having talks", adding:

    The coming days should be used to get back to the table, not to secure more gains on the battlefield."

  13. Cameron: £7 billion pledged to tackle Syrian refugee crisis

    International leaders have pledged more than £7 billion to tackle the Syrian refugee crisis, David Cameron has announced.

    Some £4.1 billion was pledged at a donor conference being held in London - and a further £3.4 billion will be handed over by 2020, the prime minister said.

    Britain is donating an extra £510 million, taking the total funding from the UK to £2.3 billion. 

    Countries neighbouring Syria have also agreed to educate refugee children to ensure there is no "lost generation", Mr Cameron said. 

    UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon thanked those who made generous pledges:

    Never has the international community raised so much money on a single day for a single crisis."

  14. Cameron: Fund raising Syria conference 'a good day's work'

    David Cameron

    UK Prime Minister David Cameron has hailed the London conference on Syria which has raised billions of pounds in aid for refugees as "a good day's work".

    The gathering of world leaders had played a "crucial role" in preventing refugees from feeling they have to risk their lives, he said.

    The latest British contribution to be delivered over the next four years will take UK support from the start of the crisis to £2.3 billion.

    One million refugee children who are not currently at school will have access to education by the end of the next school year, he said.

    "The money raised will save lives, give hope and give people a chance of a future," he said.

    UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon added that never had so much money been raised on a single day for a single crisis.

  15. EU source: 'No-one happy with UK proposal'

    But this could be "a good sign" the source adds...

    From an EU source:

    Donald Tusk met with David Cameron today. Tusk’s assessment is that the initial reaction from all capitals is that nobody is happy with the UK proposal. In a sense, this is a good sign: it means there is some kind of balance in the proposal. There is a lot of frustration and concerns. It’s clear the negotiations are going to be difficult.

    There is a first Sherpa meeting tomorrow, we expect it to be difficult, and some of the main issues will definitely not be solved tomorrow. As part of the proposal, two of the so-called baskets (economic governance and sovereignty) will require treaty change at some point…that is unacceptable to some Member States. Other issues will include emergency brake and ever closer union.”

  16. Wondering what Lib Dem leader Tim Farron's doing at the moment?

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  17. Leave EU co-founder Arron Banks criticises rival campaign

    Aaron Banks

    Arron Banks, the co-founder of the Leave.EU campaign, has criticised members of the rival Vote Leave group, saying they had rebuffed five offers to merge and accusing them of being "a business, not a cause". He added:

    It is now crystal clear that they have zero interest in joining forces."

  18. Newsnight nuclear weapons special tonight

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  19. Vote leave deputy chairman: 'Better if more unity'

    John Mills, Vote Leave's deputy chairman and leader of the Labour Leave campaign, has said the EU "Out" campaign would be better with "more unity", Buzzfeed reports.

    "I think at the very least what we need is more coordination, better personal relations, more good cooperation,” Buzzfeed quoted him as saying.  

  20. David Cameron has brief meeting with Iran foreign minister

    Prime Minister David Cameron "had a brief conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif in the margins of the Supporting Syria conference in London today", a Downing Street spokesperson said.

    "The Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Zarif agreed that progress had been made on the bilateral relationship, and there was an opportunity to do more to boost trade links."

    Mr Cameron also" raised concerns over the dual UK-Iran nationals held in Iranian prisons, pressing for swift progress in their cases", the spokesperson added.