STORYLINE

Britain and the European Union warned December 8th that talks on a post-Brexit free-trade deal are teetering on the brink of collapse, with just over three weeks until an economic rupture that will cause upheaval for businesses on both sides of the English Channel.

Officials downplayed the chances of a breakthrough when Prime Minister Boris Johnson heads to Brussels for face-to-face talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the next few days.

With negotiators deadlocked on key issues after months of tense talks, German European Affairs Minister Michael Roth said the bloc’s confidence in Britain was hanging in the balance.

Johnson’s Downing Street office said the situation was “very tricky” and collapse of the talks was a distinct possibility.

Johnson and von der Leyen, head of the EU’s executive arm, spoke by phone December 7th for the second time in 48 hours.

They said afterwards that “significant differences” remained on three key issues - fishing rights, fair-competition rules and the governance of future disputes - and “the conditions for finalizing an agreement are not there.”

The two leaders said in the joint statement that they planned to discuss the remaining differences “in a physical meeting in Brussels in the coming days.”

Leaders of the EU's 27 nations are holding a two-day summit in Brussels starting Thursday.

***

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arrived in Brussels on December 9th, ahead of crunch Brexit trade talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in the evening.

The leaders of Britain and the European Union will meet for a dinner that could pave the way to a post-Brexit trade deal - or tip the two sides toward a chaotic economic rupture at the end of the month.

They have just a few hours over a multi-course meal to unstick negotiations that are deadlocked on key aspects of the future relationship for the EU and Britain.

The U.K. left the EU on Jan. 31st after 47 years of membership, but remains within the bloc’s tariff-free single market and customs union until the end of the year.

Reaching a trade deal by then would ensure there are no tariffs or quotas on trade in goods on Jan. 1st, although there would still be new costs and red tape for businesses.

Failure to secure a trade deal would mean tariffs and other barriers that would hurt both sides, although most economists think the British economy would take a greater hit because the U.K. does almost half of its trade with the bloc.

***

As Brexit talks enter their decisive final days, there's still a big catch: the fishing industry.

It is holding up the trade deal between the European Union and recently departed Britain, putting at risk hundreds of thousands of jobs and tens of billions of euros in annual production losses.

French fishermen are anxious about a looming no-deal Brexit, following months of talks by negotiators seeking to cobble together a trade deal in the wake of their Brexit divorce.

While French and other European fishermen currently take much of their catch in UK waters, a no-deal Brexit could end or significantly limit that.

Twenty-eight year old fisherman Mathieu Pinto is concerned about the prospects of a no-deal Brexit.

Docking his boat, L'Ophelea, in the French port of Boulogne-Sur-Mer after a night of fishing sea-snails or whelk, Pinto said that the vast majority of his catch comes from British waters and there will be a "huge impact" on his business.

Pinto believes the consequences of the end of the current fishing policies would mean war amongst European boats fishing across the same coastal waters in France.

There is essentially not enough to go around, he said.

Pinto talks with other fishermen here in Boulogne and he says they are all just as scared as he is.

He says he is not yet ready to sell his boat but as someone who learned the trade handed down through his family, he is quickly losing his passion.

As well as France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland and Denmark are among those directly implicated by the potential closing off of UK waters.

Brussels has proposed a 12-month period for continued reciprocal access to fishing waters but Britain has suggested this could be rejected.

For centuries, foreign fishermen shared the plentiful waters off Britain, and it has been no different since the UK joined the EU in 1973.

But as catches dwindled, sometimes to a fraction of their previous numbers because of ruthless overexploitation, the number of British fishermen has dwindled from 22,000 in 1975 to 12,000 in 2018.

Rightly or wrongly, EU trawlers venturing freely in UK waters came to be seen as a symbol of plunder and exploitation.

When Britain voted to leave, saving UK waters for UK fishermen became a rallying cry.

In an ideal scenario, British fishermen would have all the waters to themselves, able to expand what so long has been a diminishing industry but it's not that simple.

The EU came into the trade negotiations demanding that its boats continue being allowed to fish.

Even though Brexit left the bloc in a much weaker position, UK exports gave it leverage.

Some 80% of fish landed in the UK is exported, and three-quarters of that goes to the EU.

If the continent closes off its markets, fish would be left rotting on British quays.

The debate during the final days centers on how the issues of fishing rights for EU trawlers could be reconciled with low or no tariffs for UK exports through fish-processing hubs like Boulogne-sur-Mer.

***

Lorries travelling to the UK port of Dover were stuck in traffic jams that stretched back several kilometres on December 12th.

The queues built up even though it's three weeks before Britain leaves the European Union.

Logistics companies have reported a surge in demand for imports ahead of a potential no-deal Brexit.

The British government has warned that even with a deal, there could be queues as long as 100 kilometres if companies don't prepare the new paperwork.

***

Tensions were high in Dover on December 23rd as thousands of drivers remained stranded at the UK port.

Police were confronted by frustrated drivers in the road leading to the ferries, before backing away from the crowd.

People ran to return to their vehicles after officers signalled to move the traffic towards the port.

Many have been stuck in Dover for three days now after France banned travel from the UK on Sunday following news of a new variant of coronavirus spreading across south east England.

A deal was reached between the two countries to resume travel on December 23rd, as long as travellers showed a negative COVID test result from within the last 72 hours.

British Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said around 4,000 trucks may be waiting in the county of Kent to cross the Channel and urged other truckers not to head there until the backlog is cleared.

It will take “a few days” to test all the drivers before they can travel to France, he said.

***

Scuffles broke out at the UK's Dover Port on December 23rd when police attempted to clear a route for health workers to arrive as efforts to clear a backlog of stranded drivers continued.

A police escort led in a group of cars carrying National Health Service test and trace workers and people were instructed to return to their vehicles as testing was about to commence.

However, some drivers who were stranded at the port were protesting by blocking vehicles from leaving the port.

A man was removed by police officers when he laid down in front of a truck.

Another protester attempted to stop a bus of port workers from entering.

Gridlock at the English port had kept thousands of truckers and travellers stranded on Wednesday despite a deal with France to lift a two-day blockade imposed because of a new variant of the coronavirus that had isolated Britain and raised fears of food shortages.

Nations around the world began barring people from Britain over the weekend after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that scientists said a new version of the virus whipping around London and England's southeast may be more contagious.

***

Britain's Brexit negotiator David Frost left the UK Mission in Brussels to go to the EU Commission on December 24th, as the two sides appeared to be on the cusp of striking a trade deal.

Negotiators from the European Union and Britain worked through the night and right into Christmas Eve to put the finishing touches on a trade deal that should avert a chaotic economic break between the two sides on New Year's Day.

After resolving the remaining fair-competition and almost all fisheries issues on December 23rd, negotiators combed through hundreds of pages of legal text that should become the blueprint for a post-Brexit relationship.

As during much of the nine-month negotiations, the issue of EU fleets in British waters proved the most intractable and divisive, with negotiators still haggling over quotas for some individual species as dawn came.

Still, sources on both sides said the long and difficult negotiations were on the cusp of being wrapped up as negotiators, holed up at EU headquarters in Brussels with a stack of pizzas, worked to deliver the text to their leaders on Thursday.

***

While corks may have popped in London and Brussels over reaching the relative certainty of a post-Brexit trade deal after years of delays and negotiations, there was one rocky speck of British soil still left in limbo.

Gibraltar, known colloquially as The Rock, is a UK colony jutting off the southern tip of Spain's mainland.

But it was not included in the agreement announced on Christmas Eve between the European Union and the UK to reorganise commercial and trade relations between the now 27-member bloc and the first nation to exit the group

The deadline for Gibraltar remains January 1st, when a transitionary period regulating the short frontier between Gibraltar and Spain expires.

If no deal is reached, there are serious concerns that a hard border would cause disruption for the workers, tourists and major business connections across the two sides.

More than 15,000 people live in Spain and work in Gibraltar, making up about 50% of Gibraltar's labour force, and their cross-border journeys help make up the 30 million annual crossings.

Oscar Aguilera is a 40-year-old resident of La Linea De La Concepcion, the Spanish town that borders Gibraltar.

Every day, he crosses the frontier to work for a cleaning company based on The Rock.

Aguilera says he relies heavily on a fluid border for his daily work commute and worries about what will happen if there is no deal.

The Rock was ceded to the UK in 1713, and for three centuries, the strategic outcrop of high terrain has given its navy command of the narrow seaway linking the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean.

Spain, however, has never dropped its claim to sovereignty over it and throughout the Brexit talks, it insisted it wants a say on the future of Gibraltar.

It succeeded in convincing the EU to separate the issue of Gibraltar from the wider Brexit negotiations, meaning that Madrid is handling all talks directly with its counterparts in Gibraltar and London.

The Spanish foreign ministry has warned that if an agreement is not reached before 1 January, the long lines of stranded truck drivers seen at the English Channel crossing could be repeated.

On Monday Spain's foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya reiterated that her government wants to reach a deal, adding that "there's no plan B", and that "either there's a deal with the United Kingdom or there's a hard border."

Lorenzo Pérez-Periañez, who represents the La Linea Association of Small and Medium enterprises, has no doubt that a hard border would be devastating for the economies of both Gibraltar and Spain.

But he is keen to stress that it's not all about the financial impact, as border restrictions will impact families living on both sides.

Gibraltar's population of about 34,000 was overwhelmingly against leaving the EU.

In the UK's 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in Gibraltar supported remaining in the EU, because they felt the trade bloc would give them more leverage to deal with Madrid.

***

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on December 30th signed the post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union.

Johnson told the media after the signing that "this is not the end, it is a new beginning".

Britain’s House of Commons voted to approve the deal, paving the way for an orderly break with the bloc that will finally complete the UK’s years-long Brexit journey.

With just a day to spare, lawmakers voted 521-73 December 30th to approve the agreement sealed between the UK government and the EU last week.

It will become British law once is passes through the unelected House of Lords on December 30th and gets formal royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II.

The UK left the EU almost a year ago, but remained within the bloc’s economic embrace during a transition period that ends at midnight Brussels time -- 11 p.m. in London - on December 31st.

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GVs of EU buildings as Brexit stalemate remains

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 08 December 2020

1. Close of front of the European Commission logo

2. Wide of Christmas trees for sale in front of the European Commission

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UK PM arrives at ambassador residence in Brussels

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 9 December 2020

++NIGHT SHOTS++

3. Various of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson arriving at the residence of the U.K. ambassador to Belgium ahead of Brexit talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen

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French fishermen anxious over no-deal Brexit

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Boulogne-Sur-Mer - 10 December 2020

4. French fishing boat L'Ophelea arriving into Boulogne port after fishing overnight

5. Shellfish catch - whelk or sea snails- being unloaded from the boat

6. Fish and fishmongers

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Lorries in long queues at Dover ahead of Brexit

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 12 December 2020

7. Various of queues of lorries heading to Dover port

8. Dover port from the cliffs

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Tensions high in Dover as some vehicles start move

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 23 December 2020

9. Man confronts police officer in front of lorry

10. Row of police formed in front of lorry

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Scuffles as police try to clear route for testing in Dover

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dover - 23 December 2020

11. Wide of man being removed from road by police officers

12. People demonstrating, one man stepping in front of bus

13. Police officers in front of road sign reading (English) "Return to vehicles, testing to commence"

00:57:16

Frost in Brussels on cusp of striking Brexit trade deal

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Brussels - 24 December 2020

14. The UK's chief Brexit negotiator leaving the UK mission getting into car to go to the EU Commission, car leaving

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Gibraltar’s post-Brexit border with Spain in limbo

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Gibraltar - 22 December 2020

15. Workers crossing border into Gibraltar from Spain

16. Spanish worker Oscar Aguilera entering Gibraltar

Gibraltar - 19 December 2020

17. Various of people walking in town, at cafe

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Johnson signs post Brexit trade deal

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UK POOL

London - 30 December 2020

18. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson signing trade deal, UPSOUND (English) Boris Johnson: " Here it is folks, this is it. And I know the question you will all be asking yourselves is, have I read it? The answer is yes. And it's an excellent deal for this country. But also, for our friends and partners. "

Brexit. It's coming, but no one really knows what form it will take.

Prime Minister Theresa May plans to fire the starting pistol this month, leading to at least two years of complex negotiations between Britain and 27 other European Union nations with competing interests.

The results will redefine Britain's role outside the EU, transform immigration and trade laws, and affect everything from intelligence sharing to the classification of bananas.

Brexit hasn't happened yet; the formal process is about to begin.

But the June 23 referendum in which Britons voted to leave the EU is already having an immense impact on peoples' lives.

Not because of what they know about Brexit, but because of what they don't.

Five people -- three in Britain, two in continental Europe -- tell how they are coping with the uncertainty:

THE GERMAN ACADEMIC WHO IS LEAVING BRITAIN

German-born Henning Meyer and his German wife have lived in London long enough to easily qualify for British nationality.

And it's likely the British government will eventually decide to allow EU nationals already living in Britain to stay even after the divorce, so they could probably live here even without British passports.

But the Meyers are leaving.

They are building a small home in Berlin and selling their place just north of London.

They no longer feel welcome here and they believe London's role as a vital international hub will soon shrivel.

Meyer says that if he's not allowed to live in the UK as German, he no longer wants to be in the UK.

They took six months to decide to abandon Britain -- a move shaped by the belief that something fundamental had been altered in the tolerant, multi-cultural society they had embraced.

"It's not just the immediate reaction after the referendum," he said.

"You know everybody knows what happened to -- not me personally -- but Polish citizens or others who have been subject to abuse or even worse. So what also changed is how the referendum campaign altered the public discourse in this country. Because it was a shameful campaign and it has made stereotyping xenophobia mainstream."

He said some friends no longer feel comfortable speaking German with their children on London streets, and others try to conceal their Polish or German identities.

Meyer doesn't want to live that way.

THE LATVIAN STUDENT RUSHING TO GET TO BRITAIN - BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Katrina Rubina's dream is almost in her grasp. She fears Brexit will snatch it away.

The 18-year-old high school student's cherished goal - call it an obsession - is to study in Britain, a country with a proud tradition of academic rigour that regularly turns out skilled graduates who can compete in Europe's tight job market.

"I've been dreaming about studying in the UK for a long time, since I was 6 years old, purely because of Harry Potter. And right now if because of the Brexit, the student loans are cut, there are no more opportunities for people (from the EU) who were depending on these loans. Thus, my chance would be blown," says Rubina.

Her fear is that Britain's exit from the EU will shortly make it much harder for students from other European countries to study in Britain.

She anticipates many road blocks: New visa rules, rather than the border free travel Latvians and other EU citizens now enjoy, a hike in tuition for non-British students and, most importantly, a sharp cut in scholarships for EU students.

That's made getting to Britain a now-or-never proposition.

She and many other Latvian hopefuls are flooding British universities with applications - academic officials note a marked increase since the referendum.

She has been provisionally accepted at the Royal Holloway in London to study international business, but needs an excellent showing on her final round of exams.

Her counsellor has told her she must study still harder - competition has increased because so many students are trying to get to Britain before the rules change.

"That's all I worked for - to study in the UK. And if I cannot - it was all for nothing," she says.

THIS MAN OF STEEL SEES BETTER DAYS AHEAD - AND HE'S HIRING

John Reid & Sons is looking to hire six people at its structural steel factory in southern England - and managing director Simon Boyd thinks the 98-year-old company's expansion is a Brexit blessing.

He has argued for years that membership in the EU was holding Britain back because of a welter of regulations.

The day Brexit comes into full force, he says, will be the day when Britain is liberated from unwanted workplace rules and the capricious dictates imposed by the European Court of Justice.

He knows that in a legal sense nothing has changed, that the implementation of Brexit is at least several years away, but thinks the business climate has dramatically improved now that the end of EU regulation (over-regulation in his view) is in sight.

The midsize firm he runs is already reaping benefits - the falling value of the British pound sterling since the Brexit vote has helped its exports - and the company's largest ever expansion project is being planned in consultation with local officials.

Boyd, who started his career making tea and sweeping floors, says orders and inquiries for major projects increased after the referendum vote and expects they will shoot still higher in the coming years.

"I think government is in an excellent position to negotiate a really good deal with our European friends, and we can get out of this really damaging European Union, "says Boyd, who chafes at the way European workplace rules hamper his flexibility in a business that is cyclical by nature.

THE BRITISH RETIREE IN SPAIN: DON'T MAKE ME GO BACK

If Brexit means that retirees Karen and Peter Watling have to leave the Mediterranean coast of Spain to return to the dreary British Midlands, expect them to be kicking and screaming on the plane back home.

Their decision to retire in Spain after long careers in England made perfect sense - before Brexit.

They enjoy a reciprocal health care arrangement between Britain and Spain that allows them to receive free medical care and medication, which is crucial because Peter, 70, has a serious ailment.

Karen Watling doesn't expect the health care agreement between the two EU countries to survive the divorce, which would force them to seek government-sponsored health insurance in Spain or reluctantly move back to England.

"For us it would be a disaster because it would be well over 300 euros a month plus medication," she says of the insurance she would need in Spain. "We wouldn't be able to afford it."

Brexit has already hit their purchasing power.

Their pensions are paid in British pound sterling, which has, since the referendum, dropped by about 15 percent in relation to the euro used in Spain.

Karen Watling who is also 70 says she has been anxious and tearful since June 23.

She is angry at the government - believing that Brits living in other EU countries are being used as a bargaining chip - and mortified by what the referendum results say about the country where she worked as a teacher for decades.

"I am devastated to see how the UK has now become, "she says.

THE ITALIAN 'LONDONER' WHO SUDDENLY FEELS OUT OF PLACE - IN HIS OWN HOME

Brexit has cost him money, plenty of money each month as the cost of importing meats and cheese from Italy has risen because of the drop in value of the British pound.

But Gastronomica founder Marco Vineis seems most upset by Brexit's emotional pain, not its financial toll.

"I feel myself quite a Londoner, even if I wasn't born here," says Vineis, 52, in his salami and cheese filled deli, where the aroma of rich Italian espresso lingers.

"Now I feel myself a bit of a foreigner. So, this feeling I don't like it a lot. This is after 25 years I've been here."

With the current exchange rate of the pound against the euro, in "three years we need to close," he says, or change the business by replacing tomatoes and pecorino with scallops and cheddar.

London, UK – 17 February 2017

1. London School of Economics academic, Henning Meyer walking into office

2. Hands on keyboard mouse

3. Meyer's own picture of Berlin on his computer

4. Various Meyer looking at his photos of Berlin

5. Photos being scrolled through

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Henning Meyer, London School of Economics academic:

"It's just the feeling that the mood has changed. It's not just the immediate reaction after the referendum - you know everybody knows about what happened to, not me personally, but Polish citizens or others who have been subject to abuse or even worse - so what also changed is how the referendum campaign altered the pubic discourse in this country. Because it was a shameful campaign, in my view, and it has made stereotyping xenophobia mainstream."

7. Cutaway of hands

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Henning Meyer, London School of Economics academic:

"In the cold light of day it is clear that the best decision for us in the medium to long-term - even though in the short-term it might be more disruptive - is moving back to Berlin."

9. Various of Henning looking at photo of plot of land he has bought in Berlin

Riga, Latvia - 17 February 2017

10. Various of English class at Riga State 2nd Gymnasium

11. Close of Katrina Rubina

12. Pan of class

13. Rubina exiting classroom

14. SOUNDBITE (English) Katrina Rubina, 18, student hoping to study in UK:

"I've been dreaming about studying in the UK for a long time, since I was six years old, purely because of Harry Potter. And right now if because of the Brexit, the student loans are cut, there are no more opportunities for people (from the EU) who were depending on these loans and thus, my chance would be blown."

15. Girl holding a University of Edinburgh bag

16. Rubina talking to classmates in the corridor

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Katrina Rubina, 18, student hoping to study in the UK:

I've worked every single test and doing all these extra curriculars, and right now, kind of, all was useless if I cannot study there anymore. Because that's all I worked for - to study in the UK. And if I cannot - it was all for nothing."

18. Various exteriors of Riga State 2nd Gymnasium

Bournemouth, UK - 28 February 2017

19. Pan interior of John Reid and Sons steel factory

20. Various of steel welding

21. Various set ups of John Reid and Sons managing director, Simon Boyd

22. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Boyd, Managing Director, John Reid and Sons:

"It was pretty clear after Mr Cameron's failed attempts to negotiate a better deal with the EU that we weren't going to get anything that worked for me, my family, my business, my employees and indeed the vast majority of people in the UK and now I think we have to support government. I think government is in an excellent position to negotiate a really good deal with our European friends, and we can get out of this really damaging European Union."

23. Cutaway tilt down face

24. SOUNDBITE (English) Simon Boyd, Managing Director, John Reid and Sons:

"I'm a businessman, I care about this company, I care about our industry, and I care about everybody in the country to be honest, no matter where you come from. The fact of the matter is that politicians will argue black is white, day in day out. We have to deal with the facts. It's us that have to bear the burden of regulation. It's us that have to cope with the stresses and anxieties that all this regulation places not only on us who run the business but on our employees, and a one size fits all approach, which is what the European Union has done with British business has been really bad for us."

25. Various steel cutting

26. Forklift operating

Torrevieja, Spain - 1 March 2017

27. Wide Torrevieja beach

28. Mid people walking on the beach

29. Mid people in a bar terrace

30. Close menu sign in English

31. Various set up shots of Karen Watling, a UK pensioner from Yorkshire

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Watling, UK pensioner living in Spain:

"For us it would be a disaster because it would be well over 300 euros a month plus medication, we wouldn't be able to afford it."

33. Close up of hands

34. SOUNDBITE (English) Karen Watling, UK pensioner living in Spain:

"We didn't leave the United Kingdom because we didn't like it, we left it because we thought we would have a better retirement in a warmer place and that's true. We are quite happy here. The UK is still my home country. And I am devastated to see how the UK has now become."

35. Mid food sign in English

London - 16 February 2017

36. Exterior of Gastronomica Italian deli

37. Various of customers, produce in background

38. Various of deli items

39. Various of Italian restaurateur and food importer Marco Vineis preparing sandwich

40. SOUNDBITE (English) Marco Vineis, Italian restaurateur and food importer:

"I feel myself quite (a) Londoner, even if I wasn't born here. Now I feel myself a bit of a foreigner. So, this feeling I don't like it a lot. This is after 25 years, I've been here, I feel London as it is my house, almost."

41. Cutaway hands

42. SOUNDBITE (English) Marco Vineis, Italian restaurateur and food importer:

"I hope the pound must be at least over the 1.15 (to the euro) otherwise it's going to be... if it carries on for 10 years at 1.10, after three years we need to close. Or change our business. Having English product. So, if we are very keen on these zero kilometres product, perfect. We can do it. Tomorrow we can buy, I don't know.... scallops, cheddar..."

43. Staff preparing food

44. Plate of mozzarella and tomato salad

LEAD IN:

For decades Britain's discontent over its European Union (EU) membership has simmered on, but then came the June referendum.

Nationalism surfaced and Britain's voted to leave the EU.

Brexit as it became known sent shockwaves through money markets and governments around the world.

STORY-LINE:

In the weeks running up to referendum judgement day, the British were busy with a little soul searching.

Mulling over their shared history, the country's pride in their democracy and heritage.

It was a year when Queen Elizabeth celebrated being the longest reigning UK monarch and the country celebrated her ninetieth birthday.

The pomp and ceremony from her recent jubilee were still a source of pride and were reminiscent of the heydays when London style was considered to be world leading.

In the 1960's British fashion and British pop were riding high.

That sense of being at the vanguard of style has continued, according to Robert Johnston the Fashion Director of GQ Magazine: "You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

Author Iain Aitch explained how a variety of heritages were now mixed up, making Britishness a more complex idea to communicate: "Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

But it wasn't this hipster, Brick Lane art and curry house side of Britain that won the vote.

The referendum on June 23rd was to signal the start of a long debate.

Britons for the first time had to absorb what being outside of the EU looked like.

Britain joined what was then called the European Economic Community in January 1973.

This was ratified by a referendum in 1975 with a resounding 67% majority.

By the seventies, Britain was beset by strikes and disgruntled union workers.

Traditional industries such as manufacturing and coal were in decline in the mid seventies.

Unemployment exceeded one million for the first time in March 1975. By the August that figure had increased to 1.25 million.

Some 83,000 immigrants were living in the UK by 1975, mostly from the Commonwealth.

According to Migration Watch UK for the year ending December 2015, net migration to the UK was 333,000.

And the lady had yet to turn. Margaret Thatcher MP (then leader of the opposition) campaigned to stay in the European Economic Community.

Later as prime minister between 1979 and 1990, Thatcher was known for her tough line with Brussels, especially during negotiations for the Maastrict Treaty in 1992.

The city of Maastrict is the home of the treaty which created the EU.

As summer arrived, businesses, leading universities and research establishments were beginning to assess the impact of Brexit.

For science and medicine, concerns were two fold.

Britain had attracted thousands of top researchers as well as billions of Euros in grants.

They went into research like this at Kings College London.

This project is a multidisciplinary look at the potential causes and effects of autism. It's a long term project which is linked to other studies across Europe.

Doctors and scientists aren't worried about losing cash in the short term, but falling behind in the knowledge race in the long term, especially as Britain has sought to place itself as a central base for the new industrial technologies.

The other fear is losing the brains which have been drawn to British research, people who now fear they will need to move to other institutions to keep up with the cash and the research.

Lead scientist at King's College Professor Declan Murphy warned: "Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre from one country."

The EU's Horizon 2020 budget is 80-billion Euro which funds medicine and science research across Europe.

Britain's split from the EU will leave a funding gap as well as a brain drain, according to Murphy. He argues it will be the children with autism like Van Velzen who will lose out.

As an island nation, boat building and sales have been important to the UK.

The industry fears rough waters may be ahead for Britain's luxury yacht industry, but right now it's riding on a wave caused by the plunge in the pound's value.

Phil Popham, the CEO of Sunseeker International was cautious: "We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

Others like Russell Currie, the Managing Director of Fairline Yachts, says he already had cause to worry: "We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market."

British Marine's chief executive Howard Pridding tried to show more confidence in the course ahead: "Obviously, industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic."

An estimated 1.2 million Britons live in other EU countries, mostly France, Portugal and Spain according to Britain's House of Commons library.

But that's a conservative figure because many expats don't bother registering with their embassies or the local authorities.

At Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol, many Brits don't want to return to Blighty.

Used to the sun, sea and cafe society, some British residents are so concerned that their lives on the Costas are threatened, that after many years they're finally learning to speak Spanish.

According to Mijas' Mayor Juan Carlos Maldonado: "When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

Local traders are also keen to keep the British on the Costa.

Many are retired and spend their pensions here.

Bar owner Sergio Morales says: "Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

A cloud of uncertainty still hangs over British expats in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

And it's possible a string of similar nationality schools for expats may spring up.

Not everyone was bemoaning the onset of Brexit.

The art and antique market experienced a mini boom according to London dealers at this winter fair.

The weak pound against the dollar and Euro has seen American collectors in particular start to snap up bargains with savings of beween 25 and 30 per cent compared with six months ago.

Art dealers are reporting a similar trend.

They say investors see the arts market as a safe refuge in uncertain times.

As Christmas approaches the toy industry is bracing itself and Santa is wondering whether he'll have much to be jolly about.

It's the time of year when manufacturers and retailers count on making their biggest cash bonus of the year.

According to industry analyst Frederique Tutt: "Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

That's because toy retailers buy stock almost a year in advance and can keep prices stable, but the toy dealers here admit next year the stockings left out for Father Chrismas may have shrunk considerably.

There's nothing as Christmassy as a Christmas tree, but in Denmark the outlook for tree producers isn't quite so evergreen.

According to the Danish Christmas Tree Association, the small Scandinavian country grows around 11.5 million trees a year.

About 9.5 million of those are exported.

But these are challenging times and currency fluctuations are having an effect on trade.

Speaking about his members, Claus Jerram Christensen of the Danish Christmas Tree Association says: "They have experienced that the low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

The true impact of Brexit on Britain and Europe as a whole is still to an extent unknown.

The UK government had announced it was to trigger Article 50 next March to start negotiations to leave EU.

But since then, Brexit has twice been contested in the High Court.

One ruling has already stated Britain's law makers should be allowed a vote in Parliament beforehand.

Breaking up, it seems, really is hard to do.

AP Television

London, UK - 22 February 2016

1. Wide of UK Houses of Parliament as London bus passes

2. Close of clock face at the top of Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June 2016

3. Wide of Big Ben as seen from Buckingham Palace

4. Wide of Buckingham Palace

POOL

London, UK - 3 June 2012

5. Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip (centre), Charles (left) and Camilla (right) on royal barge during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

6. Mid of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry on royal barge

7. Pull out of royal barge sailing down River Thames during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 11 June, 2016

8. Mid of Queen Elizabeth II in carriage during the Trooping of the Colour for her 90th birthday celebrations

9. Wide of Guardsmen in ceremonial marching during the celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 1960s

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

10. Close tilt down of man putting shirt in carrier bag

11. Wide of man by scooters

UNIVERSAL ARCHIVES

London, UK - 31 October 1963

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

12. Various of Beatles getting off plane in London

AP Television

London, UK - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Johnston, Fashion Director, GQ Magazine UK

"You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

AP Television

London, UK - 3 July 2012

14. Punk and goth street fashion in Camden

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June, 2016

15. Hipster in Brick Lane cafe

16. Pull focus of street sign reading: (English) "Brick Lane E1"

17. Various of curry houses on Brick Lane

AP Television

Margate, UK - 8 June 2016

18. Various of Margate beach and people relaxing in sunshine

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Iain Aitch, Author:

"Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

20. Various of takeaway fish and chips being served

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, April 30, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

21. Red buses on a London street

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, September 24, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

22. Tilt down of Ford workers walking out of various plants

23. Wide of Ford cars on a train

24. Various men take part in industrial action at Ford plant

AP Television

United Kingdom, February 10, 1974 - no exact location available

++4:3++

25. Various of non functioning coal mines during national coal strike

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, June 3, 1975 (MUTE)

++4:3++

26. Mid of Margaret Thatcher wearing a flags-of-Europe sweater, flanked by women also wearing pro-Europe sweaters

AP Television

Maastricht, Netherlands - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

27. Clocktower of Maastricht town hall with EU, Limburg and Maastricht flags

28. Wide of streets in the town

AP Television

London, UK - 7 July 2016

29. Various of autistic teenager Rens Van Velzen completing other puzzles with black and yellow blocks against the clock

30. Close tilt down of the psychologist on the autism study at Kings College London timing Rens Van Velzen during test

31. Close of Van Velzen

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor Declan Murphy lead scientist, EU Aims study on autism, Kings College London:

"Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre or from one country."

33. Various of Van Velzen being tested in eye tracking unit at Kings College London

AP Television

Southampton, UK - 16 September 2016

34. Wide of Southampton Boat Show 2016, cruise ship in background

35. Tilt down to pontoon, boats and visitors

36. Close of 'Sunseeker' flag

37. Various of Sunseeker 95 Yacht exterior

38. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Popham, CEO of Sunseeker International:

"We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

39. Various of Fairline yacht

40. SOUNDBITE (English) Russell Currie, Managing Director of Fairline Yachts:

"We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market

41. Zoom out from cruise ship docked near boat show

42. SOUNDBITE (English) Howard Pridding, Chief Executive of British Marine:

"Industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic"

AP Television

Mijas, Malaga - October 6, 2016

43. Wide of coastal area of Mijas

44. Pan of typical apartments in the area and people walking by the sea side

45. Various of British pensioners taking Spanish classes in the Parnell School

46. Various of Juan Mayor Carlos Maldonado in his office

47. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

48. Various of family walking near beach

49. Pan from people walking up steps from the beach to the owner of Royal Beach cafe talking

50. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Morales, co-owner of Royal Beach bar in Mijas:

"Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

AP Television

London, UK - 1 November 2016

51. Pull focus of bronze Japanese archer

52. Mid of men admiring antique chandelier

53. Art dealer Tanya Baxter showing painting to visitor

54. Close tilt down of painting 'Paper Bride in Waiting' by Zeng Chuanxing (price £120,000/ USD 147,000)

55. Wide of antique clock stand

AP Television

London, UK - 9 November 2016

56. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch

57. Wide of girl playing with toy on chair

58. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys

59. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys

60. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

AP Television

Lundby, Denmark - 22 November 2016

61. Mid tilt up of Christmas tree plantation

62. Wide of plantation through tops of trees

AP Television

Copenhagen, Denmark - 21 November 2016

63. SOUNDBITE (English) Claus Jerram Christensen, Managing Director of the Danish Christmas Tree Association:

"The low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

64. Mid of large container truck filled with trees pulling out of yard stacked with trees

65. Pan across field of Christmas tree saplings for 2018 and beyond

WORLD BREXIT REVIEW

SOURCE: AP HORIZONS, LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY / POOL

RESTRICTIONS: HORIZONS CLIENTS AND AP LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6.44

SHOTLIST:

AP Television

London, UK - 22 February 2016

1. Wide of UK Houses of Parliament as London bus passes

2. Close of clock face at the top of Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June 2016

3. Wide of Big Ben as seen from Buckingham Palace

4. Wide of Buckingham Palace

POOL

London, UK - 3 June 2012

5. Queen Elizabeth II with Prince Philip (centre), Charles (left) and Camilla (right) on royal barge during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

6. Mid of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry on royal barge

7. Pull out of royal barge sailing down River Thames during Diamond Jubilee celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 11 June, 2016

8. Mid of Queen Elizabeth II in carriage during the Trooping of the Colour for her 90th birthday celebrations

9. Wide of Guardsmen in ceremonial marching during the celebrations

AP Television

London, UK - 1960s

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

10. Close tilt down of man putting shirt in carrier bag

11. Wide of man by scooters

UNIVERSAL ARCHIVES

London, UK - 31 October 1963

++BLACK AND WHITE FOOTAGE / MUTE++

++4:3++

12. Various of Beatles getting off plane in London

AP Television

London, UK - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Robert Johnston, Fashion Director, GQ Magazine UK

"You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

AP Television

London, UK - 3 July 2012

14. Punk and goth street fashion in Camden

AP Television

London, UK - 16 June, 2016

15. Hipster in Brick Lane cafe

16. Pull focus of street sign reading: (English) "Brick Lane E1"

17. Various of curry houses on Brick Lane

AP Television

Margate, UK - 8 June 2016

18. Various of Margate beach and people relaxing in sunshine

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Iain Aitch, Author:

"Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

20. Various of takeaway fish and chips being served

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, April 30, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

21. Red buses on a London street

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, September 24, 1973 (MUTE)

++4:3++

22. Tilt down of Ford workers walking out of various plants

23. Wide of Ford cars on a train

24. Various men take part in industrial action at Ford plant

AP Television

United Kingdom, February 10, 1974 - no exact location available

++4:3++

25. Various of non functioning coal mines during national coal strike

AP Television

London, United Kingdom, June 3, 1975 (MUTE)

++4:3++

26. Mid of Margaret Thatcher wearing a flags-of-Europe sweater, flanked by women also wearing pro-Europe sweaters

AP Television

Maastricht, Netherlands - 7 June 2016

++16:9++

27. Clocktower of Maastricht town hall with EU, Limburg and Maastricht flags

28. Wide of streets in the town

AP Television

London, UK - 7 July 2016

29. Various of autistic teenager Rens Van Velzen completing other puzzles with black and yellow blocks against the clock

30. Close tilt down of the psychologist on the autism study at Kings College London timing Rens Van Velzen during test

31. Close of Van Velzen

32. SOUNDBITE (English) Professor Declan Murphy lead scientist, EU Aims study on autism, Kings College London:

"Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre or from one country."

33. Various of Van Velzen being tested in eye tracking unit at Kings College London

AP Television

Southampton, UK - 16 September 2016

34. Wide of Southampton Boat Show 2016, cruise ship in background

35. Tilt down to pontoon, boats and visitors

36. Close of 'Sunseeker' flag

37. Various of Sunseeker 95 Yacht exterior

38. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Popham, CEO of Sunseeker International:

"We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

39. Various of Fairline yacht

40. SOUNDBITE (English) Russell Currie, Managing Director of Fairline Yachts:

"We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market

41. Zoom out from cruise ship docked near boat show

42. SOUNDBITE (English) Howard Pridding, Chief Executive of British Marine:

"Industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic"

AP Television

Mijas, Malaga - October 6, 2016

43. Wide of coastal area of Mijas

44. Pan of typical apartments in the area and people walking by the sea side

45. Various of British pensioners taking Spanish classes in the Parnell School

46. Various of Juan Mayor Carlos Maldonado in his office

47. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Juan Carlos Maldonado, Mayor of Mijas:

"When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

48. Various of family walking near beach

49. Pan from people walking up steps from the beach to the owner of Royal Beach cafe talking

50. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Morales, co-owner of Royal Beach bar in Mijas:

"Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

AP Television

London, UK - 1 November 2016

51. Pull focus of bronze Japanese archer

52. Mid of men admiring antique chandelier

53. Art dealer Tanya Baxter showing painting to visitor

54. Close tilt down of painting 'Paper Bride in Waiting' by Zeng Chuanxing (price £120,000/ USD 147,000)

55. Wide of antique clock stand

AP Television

London, UK - 9 November 2016

56. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch

57. Wide of girl playing with toy on chair

58. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys

59. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys

60. SOUNDBITE (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

AP Television

Lundby, Denmark - 22 November 2016

61. Mid tilt up of Christmas tree plantation

62. Wide of plantation through tops of trees

AP Television

Copenhagen, Denmark - 21 November 2016

63. SOUNDBITE (English) Claus Jerram Christensen, Managing Director of the Danish Christmas Tree Association:

"The low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

64. Mid of large container truck filled with trees pulling out of yard stacked with trees

65. Pan across field of Christmas tree saplings for 2018 and beyond

LEADIN:

For decades Britain's discontent over its European Union (EU) membership has simmered on, but then came the June referendum.

Nationalism surfaced and Britain's voted to leave the EU.

Brexit as it became known sent shockwaves through money markets and governments around the world.

STORYLINE:

In the weeks running up to referendum judgement day, the British were busy with a little soul searching.

Mulling over their shared history, the country's pride in their democracy and heritage.

It was a year when Queen Elizabeth celebrated being the longest reigning UK monarch and the country celebrated her ninetieth birthday.

The pomp and ceremony from her recent jubilee were still a source of pride and were reminiscent of the heydays when London style was considered to be world leading.

In the 1960's British fashion and British pop were riding high.

That sense of being at the vanguard of style has continued, according to Robert Johnston the Fashion Director of GQ Magazine: "You also think street scene, you think east London, you think hipsters, you think the most vibrant street fashion possibly in the world."

Author Iain Aitch explained how a variety of heritages were now mixed up, making Britishness a more complex idea to communicate: "Everyone might say a Sunday roast or fish and chips, that's a quintessentially British meal, but then suddenly everyone says it's chicken tikka masala."

But it wasn't this hipster, Brick Lane art and curry house side of Britain that won the vote.

The referendum on June 23rd was to signal the start of a long debate.

Britons for the first time had to absorb what being outside of the EU looked like.

Britain joined what was then called the European Economic Community in January 1973.

This was ratified by a referendum in 1975 with a resounding 67% majority.

By the seventies, Britain was beset by strikes and disgruntled union workers.

Traditional industries such as manufacturing and coal were in decline in the mid seventies.

Unemployment exceeded one million for the first time in March 1975. By the August that figure had increased to 1.25 million.

Some 83,000 immigrants were living in the UK by 1975, mostly from the Commonwealth.

According to Migration Watch UK for the year ending December 2015, net migration to the UK was 333,000.

And the lady had yet to turn. Margaret Thatcher MP (then leader of the opposition) campaigned to stay in the European Economic Community.

Later as prime minister between 1979 and 1990, Thatcher was known for her tough line with Brussels, especially during negotiations for the Maastrict Treaty in 1992.

The city of Maastrict is the home of the treaty which created the EU.

As summer arrived, businesses, leading universities and research establishments were beginning to assess the impact of Brexit.

For science and medicine, concerns were two fold.

Britain had attracted thousands of top researchers as well as billions of Euros in grants.

They went into research like this at Kings College London.

This project is a multidisciplinary look at the potential causes and effects of autism. It's a long term project which is linked to other studies across Europe.

Doctors and scientists aren't worried about losing cash in the short term, but falling behind in the knowledge race in the long term, especially as Britain has sought to place itself as a central base for the new industrial technologies.

The other fear is losing the brains which have been drawn to British research, people who now fear they will need to move to other institutions to keep up with the cash and the research.

Lead scientist at King's College Professor Declan Murphy warned: "Big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre from one country."

The EU's Horizon 2020 budget is 80-billion Euro which funds medicine and science research across Europe.

Britain's split from the EU will leave a funding gap as well as a brain drain, according to Murphy. He argues it will be the children with autism like Van Velzen who will lose out.

As an island nation, boat building and sales have been important to the UK.

The industry fears rough waters may be ahead for Britain's luxury yacht industry, but right now it's riding on a wave caused by the plunge in the pound's value.

Phil Popham, the CEO of Sunseeker International was cautious: "We've benefited because of the weakness of the pound, but its all about business confidence."

Others like Russell Currie, the Managing Director of Fairline Yachts, says he already had cause to worry: "We've had an overnight decrease in the price of our boats in areas such as the European market."

British Marine's chief executive Howard Pridding tried to show more confidence in the course ahead: "Obviously, industry and business need stability and the time it will take to exit from the European Union will be problematic."

An estimated 1.2 million Britons live in other EU countries, mostly France, Portugal and Spain according to Britain's House of Commons library.

But that's a conservative figure because many expats don't bother registering with their embassies or the local authorities.

At Mijas on Spain's Costa del Sol, many Brits don't want to return to Blighty.

Used to the sun, sea and cafe society, some British residents are so concerned that their lives on the Costas are threatened, that after many years they're finally learning to speak Spanish.

According to Mijas' Mayor Juan Carlos Maldonado: "When the results of the Brexit (referendum) were known, a big uncertainty was created."

Local traders are also keen to keep the British on the Costa.

Many are retired and spend their pensions here.

Bar owner Sergio Morales says: "Most of our clients here, around 80% of them, are British."

A cloud of uncertainty still hangs over British expats in Spain and elsewhere in Europe.

And it's possible a string of similar nationality schools for expats may spring up.

Not everyone was bemoaning the onset of Brexit.

The art and antique market experienced a mini boom according to London dealers at this winter fair.

The weak pound against the dollar and Euro has seen American collectors in particular start to snap up bargains with savings of beween 25 and 30 per cent compared with six months ago.

Art dealers are reporting a similar trend.

They say investors see the arts market as a safe refuge in uncertain times.

As Christmas approaches the toy industry is bracing itself and Santa is wondering whether he'll have much to be jolly about.

It's the time of year when manufacturers and retailers count on making their biggest cash bonus of the year.

According to industry analyst Frederique Tutt: "Since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

That's because toy retailers buy stock almost a year in advance and can keep prices stable, but the toy dealers here admit next year the stockings left out for Father Chrismas may have shrunk considerably.

There's nothing as Christmassy as a Christmas tree, but in Denmark the outlook for tree producers isn't quite so evergreen.

According to the Danish Christmas Tree Association, the small Scandinavian country grows around 11.5 million trees a year.

About 9.5 million of those are exported.

But these are challenging times and currency fluctuations are having an effect on trade.

Speaking about his members, Claus Jerram Christensen of the Danish Christmas Tree Association says: "They have experienced that the low exchange rate for the sterling pound makes it more difficult to achieve the same prices."

The true impact of Brexit on Britain and Europe as a whole is still to an extent unknown.

The UK government had announced it was to trigger Article 50 next March to start negotiations to leave EU.

But since then, Brexit has twice been contested in the High Court.

One ruling has already stated Britain's law makers should be allowed a vote in Parliament beforehand.

Breaking up, it seems, really is hard to do.

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FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4069665

LEAD IN:

Virtual and augmented reality, health technology and mobile tech are taking centre stage at the annual TechCrunch Disrupt startup event in London.

According to a recent report, the British capital remains Europe's biggest tech hub despite the recent 'Leave' EU vote.

Experts say how migration is managed once Britain leaves the 28-nation bloc could be pivotal for the city's future tech scene.

STORY-LINE:

During London's 2012 Olympic Games, the Copper Box Arena hosted fencing duels and handball matches.

Four years on, a completely different type of competition is hotting up.

At TechCrunch Disrupt London, an annual tech conference, fledgling companies are competing for venture capitalists' attention in 'Start-Up Alley' and 'Battlefield' areas.

The 'Startup Battlefield' gives entrants the chance to feverishly pitch their company to a panel of judges. The winning team takes away a prize of 50,000 US dollars.

Virtual reality is a hot tech trend currently, but high-cost headsets mean many are yet to sample premium VR content.

Poland-based RiftCat is aiming to change that.

Its developers created PC technology that allows gamers to play high-quality VR games through simple mobile VR viewers like Google Cardboard.

VRidge - as it's called - is intended to act as a bridge between mobile and PC VR content.

"When you have two branches of virtual reality, the PC VR and mobile VR and they both have their advantages and disadvantages - PC VR is the highest quality, but it's expensive and mobile VR is cheap because you can use your phone and put it, you have only the lenses, but it has not that much capability," explains Marek Antoniuk from RiftCat.

"So, basically we are making a bridge in between these two worlds."

Hot on the heels of virtual reality, augmented reality - or AR - is becoming a popular topic following the global success of smartphone game 'Pokemon Go'.

Liverpool-based SwapBots created an augmented reality game which seemingly brings simple cardboard toys to life.

Users can combine boxes to create different characters, there's a variety of single and multiplayer games for players to explore.

"When you're young yourself, you imagine your toys coming to life," explains Phil Charnock from SwapBots.

"And now you can - I won't say replace your imagination - but you can kind of see your imagination living on the screen.

"You can see the toy itself, starting to move around, see them battle with each other and I think that's an incredible thing to be feeding kids' imaginations like that."

Medtech company xRapid is demonstrating its automated diagnostic smartphone app, designed to diagnose diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

Using the smartphone's camera and when connected to a microscope, the app deploys digital imaging and artificial intelligence to analyse smear tests.

It's claimed the technology is particularly useful in remote areas, far from trained doctors or a reliable internet connection.

"We take a blood sample, we use any kind of microscope and with the iPhone app that we developed, we can tell you if you are sick or not, give all the important details to the doctor to give the right diagnostic and the right treatment to patients," explains Charles Van Overmeire from xRapid.

Seoul-based Attocube is demonstrating its smartphone-connected wooden blocks, designed to inspire and educate young minds.

Players are challenged to create various letters, numbers and shapes using cubes decorated with different geometric patterns.

The idea is to boost creativity and problem solving while still giving children screen time.

"We created this cube and children learn the alphabet or numbers or images and create different patterns, and they make more and more creative, and (the) brain strengthens, yeah," explains Johnny Moon from Attocube.

London-based Firef.ly is demonstrating its mobile travel app which combines planning, guides and journals all in one place.

Users can browse guidebooks, add locations to Buck Lists, shoot and embed videos and photos onto a map, and tailor digital postcards for friends and family back home.

The idea is to provide all smartphone-enabled travellers require in one app.

"You look at Facebook, it's great for peeling through somebody's wall, but it's a sporadic hit of a bunch of different things, it doesn't join up the story," explains Chad Cribbins from Firef.ly.

"So, ours is uniquely dedicated to a journal of your travels, that you can peel back through time.

"So, all these lines that we capture, over months and months, even just living in London, becomes an interesting narrative for you to hold onto."

Despite Britain's recent 'Leave' EU vote, London appears to be maintaining its place as Europe's tech capital.

According to the recent 'State of European Tech' report by tech investment firm Atomico, London boasts over 300,000 developers.

French capital Paris came in second with over 134,000 - less than half London's total.

"It still remains, whatever you want to say about Brexit or anything else, London and the UK is still the biggest hub of startup ecosystems in the whole of Europe and that's really not going to change anytime soon," says Mike Butcher from tech website TechCrunch.

Despite that, Butcher says how Britain handles migration once it exits the 28-nation bloc could be pivotal for London's startup scene.

"It's going to be about talent because migration and skilled migration are hugely at the core of startups," he says.

"You know, the two things that affect startups are money and talent, and talent is really going to be affected by Brexit, how people get visas, how people access the UK, and how people are able to hire into the UK.

"Brexit is absolutely the core of this conversation about startups today."

TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 runs 5-6 December at the Copper Box Arena in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

London, UK - 5 December 2016

1. High wide shot of TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

2. Wide of booths and attendees

3. Tilt down from 'Startup Battlefield' sign to show floor

4. Various of Marek Antoniuk, RiftCat, demonstrating RiftCat VRidge virtual reality technology

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Marek Antoniuk, RiftCat:

"When you have two branches of virtual reality, the PC VR and mobile VR and they both have their advantages and disadvantages - PC VR is the highest quality, but it's expensive and mobile VR is cheap because you can use your phone and put it, you have only the lenses, but it has not that much capability. So, basically we are making a bridge in between these two worlds."

6. Low shot of attendee removing virtual reality headset

7. Various of Phil Charnock, SwapBots, demonstrating SwapBots augmented reality toys

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Charnock, SwapBots:

"When you're young yourself, you imagine your toys coming to life. And now you can - I won't say replace your imagination - but you can kind of see your imagination actually living on the screen. You can see the toy itself, starting to move around, see them battle with each other and I think that's an incredible thing to be feeding kids' imaginations like that."

9. Pull out from SwapBots toy to tablet showing augmented reality technology

10. Various of Charles Van Overmeire, xRapid, demonstrating xRapid automated diagnostic app with microscope

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Charles Van Overmeire, xRapid:

"We take a blood sample, we use any kind of microscope and with the iPhone app that we developed, we can tell you if you are sick or not, we give all the important details to the doctor to give the right diagnostic and the right treatment to patients."

12. Various of Johnny Moon, Attocube, demonstrating Attocube smartphone-connected wooden block learning game

13. Tilt up of smartphone showing Attocube app and complete letter 'D'

14. Pull out of blocks showing completed letter 'D'

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Johnny Moon, Attocube:

"We created this cube and children learn the alphabet or numbers or images and create different patterns, and they make more and more creative, and (the) brain strengthens, yeah."

16. Various of Chad Cribbins, Firef.ly, demonstrating Firef.ly travel smartphone app

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Cribbins, Firef.ly:

"You look at Facebook, it's great for peeling through somebody's wall, but it's a sporadic hit of a bunch of different things, it doesn't join up the story. So, ours is uniquely dedicated to a journal of your travels, that you can peel back through time. So, all these lines that we capture, over months and months, even just living in London, becomes an interesting narrative for you to hold onto."

18. Wide tilt down to TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

19. Wide of sign, reading (English): 'Startup Battlefield'

20. Various of booths and attendees

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Butcher, Editor At Large, TechCrunch:

"It still remains, whatever you want to say about Brexit or anything else, London and the UK is still the biggest hub of startup ecosystems in the whole of Europe and that's really not going to change anytime soon."

22. Various of booths and attendees

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Butcher, Editor At Large, TechCrunch:

"It's going to be about talent because migration and skilled migration are hugely at the core of startups. You know, the two things that affect startups are money and talent, and talent is really going to be affected by Brexit, how people get visas, how people access the UK, and how people are able to hire into the UK. Brexit is absolutely the core of this conversation about startups today."

24. Tilt down to TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

25. Close of tank robot toy moving

LEAD IN:

Virtual and augmented reality, health technology and mobile tech are taking centre stage at the annual TechCrunch Disrupt startup event in London.

According to a recent report, the British capital remains Europe's biggest tech hub despite the recent 'Leave' EU vote.

Experts say how migration is managed once Britain leaves the 28-nation bloc could be pivotal for the city's future tech scene.

STORY-LINE:

During London's 2012 Olympic Games, the Copper Box Arena hosted fencing duels and handball matches.

Four years on, a completely different type of competition is hotting up.

At TechCrunch Disrupt London, an annual tech conference, fledgling companies are competing for venture capitalists' attention in 'Start-Up Alley' and 'Battlefield' areas.

The 'Startup Battlefield' gives entrants the chance to feverishly pitch their company to a panel of judges. The winning team takes away a prize of 50,000 US dollars.

Virtual reality is a hot tech trend currently, but high-cost headsets mean many are yet to sample premium VR content.

Poland-based RiftCat is aiming to change that.

Its developers created PC technology that allows gamers to play high-quality VR games through simple mobile VR viewers like Google Cardboard.

VRidge - as it's called - is intended to act as a bridge between mobile and PC VR content.

"When you have two branches of virtual reality, the PC VR and mobile VR and they both have their advantages and disadvantages - PC VR is the highest quality, but it's expensive and mobile VR is cheap because you can use your phone and put it, you have only the lenses, but it has not that much capability," explains Marek Antoniuk from RiftCat.

"So, basically we are making a bridge in between these two worlds."

Hot on the heels of virtual reality, augmented reality - or AR - is becoming a popular topic following the global success of smartphone game 'Pokemon Go'.

Liverpool-based SwapBots created an augmented reality game which seemingly brings simple cardboard toys to life.

Users can combine boxes to create different characters, there's a variety of single and multiplayer games for players to explore.

"When you're young yourself, you imagine your toys coming to life," explains Phil Charnock from SwapBots.

"And now you can - I won't say replace your imagination - but you can kind of see your imagination living on the screen.

"You can see the toy itself, starting to move around, see them battle with each other and I think that's an incredible thing to be feeding kids' imaginations like that."

Medtech company xRapid is demonstrating its automated diagnostic smartphone app, designed to diagnose diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

Using the smartphone's camera and when connected to a microscope, the app deploys digital imaging and artificial intelligence to analyse smear tests.

It's claimed the technology is particularly useful in remote areas, far from trained doctors or a reliable internet connection.

"We take a blood sample, we use any kind of microscope and with the iPhone app that we developed, we can tell you if you are sick or not, give all the important details to the doctor to give the right diagnostic and the right treatment to patients," explains Charles Van Overmeire from xRapid.

Seoul-based Attocube is demonstrating its smartphone-connected wooden blocks, designed to inspire and educate young minds.

Players are challenged to create various letters, numbers and shapes using cubes decorated with different geometric patterns.

The idea is to boost creativity and problem solving while still giving children screen time.

"We created this cube and children learn the alphabet or numbers or images and create different patterns, and they make more and more creative, and (the) brain strengthens, yeah," explains Johnny Moon from Attocube.

London-based Firef.ly is demonstrating its mobile travel app which combines planning, guides and journals all in one place.

Users can browse guidebooks, add locations to Buck Lists, shoot and embed videos and photos onto a map, and tailor digital postcards for friends and family back home.

The idea is to provide all smartphone-enabled travellers require in one app.

"You look at Facebook, it's great for peeling through somebody's wall, but it's a sporadic hit of a bunch of different things, it doesn't join up the story," explains Chad Cribbins from Firef.ly.

"So, ours is uniquely dedicated to a journal of your travels, that you can peel back through time.

"So, all these lines that we capture, over months and months, even just living in London, becomes an interesting narrative for you to hold onto."

Despite Britain's recent 'Leave' EU vote, London appears to be maintaining its place as Europe's tech capital.

According to the recent 'State of European Tech' report by tech investment firm Atomico, London boasts over 300,000 developers.

French capital Paris came in second with over 134,000 - less than half London's total.

"It still remains, whatever you want to say about Brexit or anything else, London and the UK is still the biggest hub of startup ecosystems in the whole of Europe and that's really not going to change anytime soon," says Mike Butcher from tech website TechCrunch.

Despite that, Butcher says how Britain handles migration once it exits the 28-nation bloc could be pivotal for London's startup scene.

"It's going to be about talent because migration and skilled migration are hugely at the core of startups," he says.

"You know, the two things that affect startups are money and talent, and talent is really going to be affected by Brexit, how people get visas, how people access the UK, and how people are able to hire into the UK.

"Brexit is absolutely the core of this conversation about startups today."

TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 runs 5-6 December at the Copper Box Arena in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

London, UK - 5 December 2016

1. High wide shot of TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

2. Wide of booths and attendees

3. Tilt down from 'Startup Battlefield' sign to show floor

4. Various of Marek Antoniuk, RiftCat, demonstrating RiftCat VRidge virtual reality technology

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Marek Antoniuk, RiftCat:

"When you have two branches of virtual reality, the PC VR and mobile VR and they both have their advantages and disadvantages - PC VR is the highest quality, but it's expensive and mobile VR is cheap because you can use your phone and put it, you have only the lenses, but it has not that much capability. So, basically we are making a bridge in between these two worlds."

6. Low shot of attendee removing virtual reality headset

7. Various of Phil Charnock, SwapBots, demonstrating SwapBots augmented reality toys

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Charnock, SwapBots:

"When you're young yourself, you imagine your toys coming to life. And now you can - I won't say replace your imagination - but you can kind of see your imagination actually living on the screen. You can see the toy itself, starting to move around, see them battle with each other and I think that's an incredible thing to be feeding kids' imaginations like that."

9. Pull out from SwapBots toy to tablet showing augmented reality technology

10. Various of Charles Van Overmeire, xRapid, demonstrating xRapid automated diagnostic app with microscope

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Charles Van Overmeire, xRapid:

"We take a blood sample, we use any kind of microscope and with the iPhone app that we developed, we can tell you if you are sick or not, we give all the important details to the doctor to give the right diagnostic and the right treatment to patients."

12. Various of Johnny Moon, Attocube, demonstrating Attocube smartphone-connected wooden block learning game

13. Tilt up of smartphone showing Attocube app and complete letter 'D'

14. Pull out of blocks showing completed letter 'D'

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Johnny Moon, Attocube:

"We created this cube and children learn the alphabet or numbers or images and create different patterns, and they make more and more creative, and (the) brain strengthens, yeah."

16. Various of Chad Cribbins, Firef.ly, demonstrating Firef.ly travel smartphone app

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Cribbins, Firef.ly:

"You look at Facebook, it's great for peeling through somebody's wall, but it's a sporadic hit of a bunch of different things, it doesn't join up the story. So, ours is uniquely dedicated to a journal of your travels, that you can peel back through time. So, all these lines that we capture, over months and months, even just living in London, becomes an interesting narrative for you to hold onto."

18. Wide tilt down to TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

19. Wide of sign, reading (English): 'Startup Battlefield'

20. Various of booths and attendees

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Butcher, Editor At Large, TechCrunch:

"It still remains, whatever you want to say about Brexit or anything else, London and the UK is still the biggest hub of startup ecosystems in the whole of Europe and that's really not going to change anytime soon."

22. Various of booths and attendees

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Butcher, Editor At Large, TechCrunch:

"It's going to be about talent because migration and skilled migration are hugely at the core of startups. You know, the two things that affect startups are money and talent, and talent is really going to be affected by Brexit, how people get visas, how people access the UK, and how people are able to hire into the UK. Brexit is absolutely the core of this conversation about startups today."

24. Tilt down to TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

25. Close of tank robot toy moving

LEAD IN:

Virtual and augmented reality, health technology and mobile tech are taking centre stage at the annual TechCrunch Disrupt startup event in London.

According to a recent report, the British capital remains Europe's biggest tech hub despite the recent 'Leave' EU vote.

Experts say how migration is managed once Britain leaves the 28-nation bloc could be pivotal for the city's future tech scene.

STORY-LINE:

During London's 2012 Olympic Games, the Copper Box Arena hosted fencing duels and handball matches.

Four years on, a completely different type of competition is hotting up.

At TechCrunch Disrupt London, an annual tech conference, fledgling companies are competing for venture capitalists' attention in 'Start-Up Alley' and 'Battlefield' areas.

The 'Startup Battlefield' gives entrants the chance to feverishly pitch their company to a panel of judges. The winning team takes away a prize of 50,000 US dollars.

Virtual reality is a hot tech trend currently, but high-cost headsets mean many are yet to sample premium VR content.

Poland-based RiftCat is aiming to change that.

Its developers created PC technology that allows gamers to play high-quality VR games through simple mobile VR viewers like Google Cardboard.

VRidge - as it's called - is intended to act as a bridge between mobile and PC VR content.

"When you have two branches of virtual reality, the PC VR and mobile VR and they both have their advantages and disadvantages - PC VR is the highest quality, but it's expensive and mobile VR is cheap because you can use your phone and put it, you have only the lenses, but it has not that much capability," explains Marek Antoniuk from RiftCat.

"So, basically we are making a bridge in between these two worlds."

Hot on the heels of virtual reality, augmented reality - or AR - is becoming a popular topic following the global success of smartphone game 'Pokemon Go'.

Liverpool-based SwapBots created an augmented reality game which seemingly brings simple cardboard toys to life.

Users can combine boxes to create different characters, there's a variety of single and multiplayer games for players to explore.

"When you're young yourself, you imagine your toys coming to life," explains Phil Charnock from SwapBots.

"And now you can - I won't say replace your imagination - but you can kind of see your imagination living on the screen.

"You can see the toy itself, starting to move around, see them battle with each other and I think that's an incredible thing to be feeding kids' imaginations like that."

Medtech company xRapid is demonstrating its automated diagnostic smartphone app, designed to diagnose diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis.

Using the smartphone's camera and when connected to a microscope, the app deploys digital imaging and artificial intelligence to analyse smear tests.

It's claimed the technology is particularly useful in remote areas, far from trained doctors or a reliable internet connection.

"We take a blood sample, we use any kind of microscope and with the iPhone app that we developed, we can tell you if you are sick or not, give all the important details to the doctor to give the right diagnostic and the right treatment to patients," explains Charles Van Overmeire from xRapid.

Seoul-based Attocube is demonstrating its smartphone-connected wooden blocks, designed to inspire and educate young minds.

Players are challenged to create various letters, numbers and shapes using cubes decorated with different geometric patterns.

The idea is to boost creativity and problem solving while still giving children screen time.

"We created this cube and children learn the alphabet or numbers or images and create different patterns, and they make more and more creative, and (the) brain strengthens, yeah," explains Johnny Moon from Attocube.

London-based Firef.ly is demonstrating its mobile travel app which combines planning, guides and journals all in one place.

Users can browse guidebooks, add locations to Buck Lists, shoot and embed videos and photos onto a map, and tailor digital postcards for friends and family back home.

The idea is to provide all smartphone-enabled travellers require in one app.

"You look at Facebook, it's great for peeling through somebody's wall, but it's a sporadic hit of a bunch of different things, it doesn't join up the story," explains Chad Cribbins from Firef.ly.

"So, ours is uniquely dedicated to a journal of your travels, that you can peel back through time.

"So, all these lines that we capture, over months and months, even just living in London, becomes an interesting narrative for you to hold onto."

Despite Britain's recent 'Leave' EU vote, London appears to be maintaining its place as Europe's tech capital.

According to the recent 'State of European Tech' report by tech investment firm Atomico, London boasts over 300,000 developers.

French capital Paris came in second with over 134,000 - less than half London's total.

"It still remains, whatever you want to say about Brexit or anything else, London and the UK is still the biggest hub of startup ecosystems in the whole of Europe and that's really not going to change anytime soon," says Mike Butcher from tech website TechCrunch.

Despite that, Butcher says how Britain handles migration once it exits the 28-nation bloc could be pivotal for London's startup scene.

"It's going to be about talent because migration and skilled migration are hugely at the core of startups," he says.

"You know, the two things that affect startups are money and talent, and talent is really going to be affected by Brexit, how people get visas, how people access the UK, and how people are able to hire into the UK.

"Brexit is absolutely the core of this conversation about startups today."

TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 runs 5-6 December at the Copper Box Arena in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

London, UK - 5 December 2016

1. High wide shot of TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

2. Wide of booths and attendees

3. Tilt down from 'Startup Battlefield' sign to show floor

4. Various of Marek Antoniuk, RiftCat, demonstrating RiftCat VRidge virtual reality technology

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Marek Antoniuk, RiftCat:

"When you have two branches of virtual reality, the PC VR and mobile VR and they both have their advantages and disadvantages - PC VR is the highest quality, but it's expensive and mobile VR is cheap because you can use your phone and put it, you have only the lenses, but it has not that much capability. So, basically we are making a bridge in between these two worlds."

6. Low shot of attendee removing virtual reality headset

7. Various of Phil Charnock, SwapBots, demonstrating SwapBots augmented reality toys

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Phil Charnock, SwapBots:

"When you're young yourself, you imagine your toys coming to life. And now you can - I won't say replace your imagination - but you can kind of see your imagination actually living on the screen. You can see the toy itself, starting to move around, see them battle with each other and I think that's an incredible thing to be feeding kids' imaginations like that."

9. Pull out from SwapBots toy to tablet showing augmented reality technology

10. Various of Charles Van Overmeire, xRapid, demonstrating xRapid automated diagnostic app with microscope

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Charles Van Overmeire, xRapid:

"We take a blood sample, we use any kind of microscope and with the iPhone app that we developed, we can tell you if you are sick or not, we give all the important details to the doctor to give the right diagnostic and the right treatment to patients."

12. Various of Johnny Moon, Attocube, demonstrating Attocube smartphone-connected wooden block learning game

13. Tilt up of smartphone showing Attocube app and complete letter 'D'

14. Pull out of blocks showing completed letter 'D'

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Johnny Moon, Attocube:

"We created this cube and children learn the alphabet or numbers or images and create different patterns, and they make more and more creative, and (the) brain strengthens, yeah."

16. Various of Chad Cribbins, Firef.ly, demonstrating Firef.ly travel smartphone app

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Chad Cribbins, Firef.ly:

"You look at Facebook, it's great for peeling through somebody's wall, but it's a sporadic hit of a bunch of different things, it doesn't join up the story. So, ours is uniquely dedicated to a journal of your travels, that you can peel back through time. So, all these lines that we capture, over months and months, even just living in London, becomes an interesting narrative for you to hold onto."

18. Wide tilt down to TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

19. Wide of sign, reading (English): 'Startup Battlefield'

20. Various of booths and attendees

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Butcher, Editor At Large, TechCrunch:

"It still remains, whatever you want to say about Brexit or anything else, London and the UK is still the biggest hub of startup ecosystems in the whole of Europe and that's really not going to change anytime soon."

22. Various of booths and attendees

23. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Butcher, Editor At Large, TechCrunch:

"It's going to be about talent because migration and skilled migration are hugely at the core of startups. You know, the two things that affect startups are money and talent, and talent is really going to be affected by Brexit, how people get visas, how people access the UK, and how people are able to hire into the UK. Brexit is absolutely the core of this conversation about startups today."

24. Tilt down to TechCrunch Disrupt London 2016 show floor

25. Close of tank robot toy moving

LEAD IN:

Britons living in Spain are adjusting to a post-Brexit reality, which means they must apply for residency or stay fewer than 90 days at a time.

There are also consequences for education.

STORY-LINE:

The dream of a life on Spain's Costa del Sol has become a nightmare for many British expats.

Henny Illingworth is a British real estate agent who has been living in here for almost four years.

She, like many others, is uncertain of her position and future in a post-Brexit Spain.

"Previously, as an EU citizen in Spain, I had the right to be here and now I just have permission to stay. It does feel a big difference and it feels that there has been a huge amount of uncertainty, misinformation the last few years.  It leaves us feeling am I safe? Am I stable here? It's not a very nice feeling to live with," says Illingworth.

As a "third country" to the EU, British tourists, including people who have second homes in Spain but haven't taken residency, can no longer come and go as they please.

Since 1st January, British people living in or visiting Spain must register as resident, or apply for the appropriate visa.

If you were legally resident in Spain before 1 January 2021, 'your rights will be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement', according to the UK Government's website, 'children must also be registered with their own residency document'.

The British government also advises Britons to register for healthcare as a resident in Spain.

British driving licences will need to be changed to Spanish ones for people who have registered as resident, with a deadline of 30 June 2021, according to the UK Government's website.

British citizens, who are not registered Spanish residents, can spend up to three months out of every six in Spain. It's the so called 90/180-days rule which refers to not spending more than '90-days in any 180-day period' in the Schengen area.

As an estate agent, Illingworth says that many Brits who spent months in Spain every year are staying away, some are selling their Spanish properties, put off by both recent COVID-19 travel restrictions and Brexit rules.

"We actually have some properties up for sale which were previously,  they are known as British "swallows", they would come over for a few months of the year and some of those people then rent out their properties for business during the summer, some of then leave them empty. But now, British citizens are going to have to follow this strict 90/180-day rule, which before they could come over for five or four months and some people are selling up because it's just not worth it for them."

Others are worried about how their British families will be able to visit them in Spain.

Kirsty Ridyard has been living in Malaga since 2005 and her sister has a holiday home in the Axarquia, near Alcaucin, 45 minutes by car from Malaga.

She has several concerns.

"Personal and professionally it is going to affect me. Professionally we cannot get the products that we need to teach chemistry effectively in Spain because they are sourced in Britain and those are so expensive over there now, it's going to be prohibitive," she says.

"And personally, I just don't know what it's going to happen with the transport. It used to be like hopping on a bus getting on a plane to go to London and getting back, for me and my family who are still there. But now we just don't know if we are going to need visas or not."

Increased education costs are also worrying one of her students, Spaniard Victoria Rincon, who was hoping to go to the UK to study, but says that UK fees are too expensive.


"I have applied (to universities) in England, but I think I will not go because the fees are too high. And I think that is what is happening to a lot of people in Europe. We are going to miss their education in England because of the price. And then, I think I'm going to Netherlands."


James John Riley is 51 years-old and was born in Manchester. He came to Malaga, Spain, 20 years ago, as a teacher of geography and history in the British International school, his wife is also British and a teacher.

Their son, Jaime, is 13 years-old.

The family enjoys life in Spain, but they are worried about the future and whether Brexit will bring problems for Jaime's education.

"Now, unfortunately, it seems to be that it is more difficult for him to go to British university, even though he has got British passport and both of his parents are British. And it seems to be, even though I've looked a lot on the internet and I've gone on the UK gov (government) website I can not find the information about this and it seems to be from other sources. they're saying he will be classed as an international student," says Riley.

Almost 50 percent of British expats in Spain live in the two regions of Alicante (Costa Blanca) and Malaga (Costa del Sol).

There are now more than 360,000 British residents registered in Spain, according to official Spanish figures.

18 million British tourists visited Spain each year between 2017 and 2019.

But the tourism industry here has been hit by both Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aaron Lopez is the manager of Doctor Livingston bar in Malaga's city center. He says that tourism has dropped by 70 percent due to the pandemic.

"In the center of Malaga we notice it. We work with tourism, and since we do not have tourism, sales have dropped, employment has dropped, and invoicing has dropped", says Lopez.

The people of the Costa del Sol are looking forward to a post pandemic future when airplanes and cruise ships will return tourists to Spain's sunshine coast, though there many be fewer Brits who turn their holiday into a lifestyle.

Rincon de la Victoria, Malaga, Spain - 23 February 2021


1. Zoom out of real estate agent Henny Illingworth walking on beach
2. Mid of Illingworth asking for cappuccino on a coffee terrace 
3. Various of Illingworth drinking coffee while looking at the sea
4. Cutaway of a black & white mural in the bar which shows women playing at the beach
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Henny Illingworth, real estate agent:
"Previously, as an EU citizen in Spain, I had the right to be here and now I just have permission to stay. It does feel a big difference and it feels that there has been a huge amount of uncertainty, misinformation the last few years.  It leaves us feeling am I safe? Am I stable here? It's not a very nice feeling to live with."


6. Wide of a closed ice cream shop and buildings on the sea front 
7. Wide of empty tennis pitch, buildings and the sea
8. Mid of a street sign
9. Mid of people walking and cycling next to the beach

Alcaucin, Malaga, Spain - 24 February 2021

10. Various of real state company signs advertising houses and apartments to rent and to sell 


Rincon de la Victoria, Malaga, Spain - 23 February 2021

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Henny Illingworth, real estate agent:
"We actually have some properties up for sale which were previously,  they are known as British "swallows", they would come over for a few months of the year and some of those people then rent out their properties for business during the summer, some of then leave them empty. But now, British citizens are going to have to follow this strict 90/180-day rule, which before they could come over for five or four months and some people are selling up because it's just not worth it for them."

Alcaucin, Malaga, Spain - 24 February 2021

12. Wide of a man shopping in a supermarket specialising in British products
13. Tilt down from the man taking a product and putting it in the basket
14. Cutaway of corned beef can
15. Cutaway of stewed steak can and chilli can 
16. Tilt down of man paying
17. Wide of people in line to pay at the supermarket
18. Mid of a man taking things out of a delivery box


Malaga, Spain - 18 February 2021

19. Mid of UK and Spain flags on a balcony
20. SOUNDBITE (English) Kirsty Ridyard, director of Phoenix College Malaga:
"Personal and professionally it is going to affect me. Professionally we cannot get the products that we need to teach chemistry effectively in Spain because they are sourced in Britain and those are so expensive over there now, it's going to be prohibitive. And personally, I just don't know what it's going to happen with the transport. It used to be like hopping on a bus getting on a plane to go to London and getting back, for me and my family who are still there. But now we just don't know if we are going to need visas or not."


21. Various of students taking biology lessons in Phoenix College 
22. Tilt up from chemistry bottles to student Victoria Rincon
23. Wide of Victoria Rincon and an another student during chemistry class
24. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Victoria Rincon, 18 years-old, student:
"I have applied (to universities) in England, but I think I will not go because the fees are too high. And I think that is what is happening to a lot of people in Europe. We are going to miss their education in England because of the price. And then, I think I'm going to Netherlands."


Malaga, Spain - 23 February 2021

25. Pan right of teacher James Riley and his son Jaime shopping in Atarazanas market 
26. Mid of James Riley and his son Jaime having shrimps at a bar terrace
27. Tilt down from Manchester City banner to James Riley walking through his house
28. Mid of James Riley reading musical magazine which shows David Bowie on the front
29. Mid of James Riley reading magazine while his son Jaime plays the guitar
30. Various of James Riley showing their passports. It reads (English) "European Union" and "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"
31. SOUNDBITE (English) James Riley, teacher:
"Now, unfortunately, it seems to be that it is more difficult for him to go to British university, even though he has got British passport and both of his parents are British. And it seems to be, even though I've looked a lot on the internet and I've gone on the UK gov (government) website I can not find the information about this and it seems to be from other sources. they're saying he will be classed as an international student."


Malaga, Spain - February 18th, 2021

32. Wide of Malaga's shopping street, Calle Larios
33. Wide of souvenir shop closed while an elderly couple rolls a suitcase down the street 
34. Wide of Irish pub 
35. Mid of two women having a beer
36. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Aaron Lopez, Bar manager:
"From one day to the next, it (tourism) has dropped by 70 percent and in the center of Malaga we notice it. We work with tourism, and since we do not have tourism, sales have dropped, employment has dropped, and invoicing has dropped."


37. Wide inside flamenco dress shop
38. Close of kids' flamenco shoes
39. Cutaway of Malaga souvenirs

40. Wide of Malaga's port, empty of yachts

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4045006

LEAD IN:

Scientists controlling EU projects worth millions of dollars say the British exit from Europe risks the future of medical research, and may endanger future treatments for cancer and children.

Research projects at Kings and University Colleges in London rely on the collaboration of hundreds of doctors and multidisciplinary scientists across Europe - which could come under threat because of Brexit.

STORY-LINE:

Precision medicine is changing the future for cancer patients.

This lab at University College London has devised a safer and simpler alternative to standard radioactive techniques of imaging tumours.

Professor Xavier Golay's team has discovered a way to make a tumour light up with a simple sugar solution.

Because the solution is not radioactive is doesn't carry the same side effects which make patients sick.

It means radiodlogists can see tumours in more detail and check them more frequently.

That in turn allows doctors to personalise drug treatments for the patient.

They can respond more quickly, seeing what works and what doesn't and that speed could save more lives.

The team here is about to begin a trial on the new imaging technique thanks to a six and a half million Euro grant from the European Union.

The whole university has 103-million Euros to fund medical and science projects over the next few years.

All currently funded projects will be allowed to complete - but it's what happens next that's vexing doctors and scientist who argue breakthroughs don't come to order at the end of one trial.

Golay says for the vast majority of scientists in Britain the result of the recent EU referendum - for the UK to exit - was a shock.

Golay says it's not just the money which will risk future projects like this.

His team - like most university and hospital research groups - comes from all over the European Union.

Collaboration on this imaging project is with other specialist scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany as well as other units including France and Italy.

He's already concerned about the future.

"I've heard of at least two, three very senior people who've said okay right, now I'm taking all my grant with me and I'm going back to Germany, Switzerland, France because actually, in that way, they know they'll still have access and it's not only access to funding because the funding is great in this country, it is really good. It's really (about) access to funding and this opportunity to collaborate."

At preschool age Rens Van Velzen's parents realised he was struggling with dyslexia, but when he went to school it became clear he was autistic.

Van Velzen, now a highly intelligent fifteen year old, is part of Europe's largest study into mental health disorder.

Here researchers like Hannah Haywood combine genetics, neuroimaging, cognitive testing and clinical assessments to try to discover what are the causes.

The research project called EU Aims is carried out here at Kings College London in collaboration with scientists in other centres of Europe.

Costing 32 million Euros it's also the biggest grant given to any one project.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental problem which affects the way people interact with the world around them.

People are affected differently and scientists want to understand why those differences occur.

Haywood says: "One can go on to a life where they never speak, they are highly affected and quite disabled. Another person can go on (to be) fully verbal and become a professor at Cambridge (University) and someone else can go on and live a full life with marriage and children, why does that happen? Why does it affect people so differently when it's effectively the same condition. So we're trying to answer those questions, we're trying to understand why it affects different people in different ways and I think the thing that really attracted me to the project is because, we're trying to highlight the great skills and strengths in this group as well as the things that people find difficult."

The goal is to identify biomarkers and develop drug treatments.

It's a long term study, but how long can it continue here and what happens to the research after the current funding ends in 2020?

Rens Van Velzen is already preparing for A-levels in maths, chemistry and physics.

But his autism means life outside the classroom is not always straightforward.

He explains: "Quite often when talking peer to peer, the other person can get frustrated with how I respond because they're (I'm) not responding the way that they're expecting me to respond as the people usually do. So quite often I don't pick up someone's annoyed, or that sort of thing. It's very hard to explain because I haven't had the experience of not having autism."

Haywood, like others on the team, is convinced the project must be protected and fears Britain leaving the EU will end large scale endeavours like this which progress more steadily because of the wide collaboration among doctors and scientists.

She says: "Quite often there can be a lot of negativity around being diagnosed and living with the condition and in my work, I've worked with autism for twelve years, I have met some of the most skilled and highly intelligent people."

Van Velzen has been part of the study since it started.

Now he's hoping for a career in astrophysics.

"I think I'll work on either discovering more about our universe and our place in it, or working on ways to get to other parts of the universe," says Van Velzen.

After completing puzzles in record time he goes on for tests in the eye tracking unit.

Studies have used eye-tracing technology to see how long autistic children spend looking at the social and non-social features in a series of images on pictures and videos like these.

Ren's mother Jose Van Velzen is a cognitive neuroscientist herself although she does not work on this project.

While she is confident about her son's academic success she worries about how he will cope with work and whether he will find happiness in personal relationships.

She says: "It is sometimes challenging for Rens to keep track of what the person he's talking to is feeling and how he's being perceived. He's very much driven by telling things as they are, or how he sees them and of course in normal interaction, in normal relationships you constantly monitor what the other person is thinking. That's definitely very challenging for him and he is aware that this is one of his weaknesses he needs to work on he cannot always deal with it at that particular time and I think that is something in general that will make relationships and work environments quite a challenging place for him."

According to scientists here this project is the first of it kind in the world developing the infrastructure which will underpin new treatments for autism.

There are hundreds of scientists involved in British research projects which are funded by the EU.

The lead scientist on the autism project at Kings is Professor Declan Murphy - and he too is concerned about what Brexit will mean.

He says:"It's virtually impossible for one country alone to recruit the amount of patients that you really need for a large scale, modern day trial, or study that's going to lead to reliable results. We increasingly recognise that big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre from one country. For Example my work needs approximately a thousand individuals who are affected by autism. You couldn't recruit that from one centre, or from one country within a time frame that is meaningful, but we can do that by going to mulitple centres across Europe, working together and learning from eachother."

The EU's Horizon 2020 budget is 80-billion Euro which funds medicine and science research across Europe.

Britain's split from the EU will leave a funding gap as well as a brain drain according to Murphy and he argues it will be the children with autism who will lose out.

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4045006

LEAD IN:

Scientists controlling EU projects worth millions of dollars say the British exit from Europe risks the future of medical research, and may endanger future treatments for cancer and children.

Research projects at Kings and University Colleges in London rely on the collaboration of hundreds of doctors and multidisciplinary scientists across Europe - which could come under threat because of Brexit.

STORY-LINE:

Precision medicine is changing the future for cancer patients.

This lab at University College London has devised a safer and simpler alternative to standard radioactive techniques of imaging tumours.

Professor Xavier Golay's team has discovered a way to make a tumour light up with a simple sugar solution.

Because the solution is not radioactive is doesn't carry the same side effects which make patients sick.

It means radiodlogists can see tumours in more detail and check them more frequently.

That in turn allows doctors to personalise drug treatments for the patient.

They can respond more quickly, seeing what works and what doesn't and that speed could save more lives.

The team here is about to begin a trial on the new imaging technique thanks to a six and a half million Euro grant from the European Union.

The whole university has 103-million Euros to fund medical and science projects over the next few years.

All currently funded projects will be allowed to complete - but it's what happens next that's vexing doctors and scientist who argue breakthroughs don't come to order at the end of one trial.

Golay says for the vast majority of scientists in Britain the result of the recent EU referendum - for the UK to exit - was a shock.

Golay says it's not just the money which will risk future projects like this.

His team - like most university and hospital research groups - comes from all over the European Union.

Collaboration on this imaging project is with other specialist scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany as well as other units including France and Italy.

He's already concerned about the future.

"I've heard of at least two, three very senior people who've said okay right, now I'm taking all my grant with me and I'm going back to Germany, Switzerland, France because actually, in that way, they know they'll still have access and it's not only access to funding because the funding is great in this country, it is really good. It's really (about) access to funding and this opportunity to collaborate."

At preschool age Rens Van Velzen's parents realised he was struggling with dyslexia, but when he went to school it became clear he was autistic.

Van Velzen, now a highly intelligent fifteen year old, is part of Europe's largest study into mental health disorder.

Here researchers like Hannah Haywood combine genetics, neuroimaging, cognitive testing and clinical assessments to try to discover what are the causes.

The research project called EU Aims is carried out here at Kings College London in collaboration with scientists in other centres of Europe.

Costing 32 million Euros it's also the biggest grant given to any one project.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a developmental problem which affects the way people interact with the world around them.

People are affected differently and scientists want to understand why those differences occur.

Haywood says: "One can go on to a life where they never speak, they are highly affected and quite disabled. Another person can go on (to be) fully verbal and become a professor at Cambridge (University) and someone else can go on and live a full life with marriage and children, why does that happen? Why does it affect people so differently when it's effectively the same condition. So we're trying to answer those questions, we're trying to understand why it affects different people in different ways and I think the thing that really attracted me to the project is because, we're trying to highlight the great skills and strengths in this group as well as the things that people find difficult."

The goal is to identify biomarkers and develop drug treatments.

It's a long term study, but how long can it continue here and what happens to the research after the current funding ends in 2020?

Rens Van Velzen is already preparing for A-levels in maths, chemistry and physics.

But his autism means life outside the classroom is not always straightforward.

He explains: "Quite often when talking peer to peer, the other person can get frustrated with how I respond because they're (I'm) not responding the way that they're expecting me to respond as the people usually do. So quite often I don't pick up someone's annoyed, or that sort of thing. It's very hard to explain because I haven't had the experience of not having autism."

Haywood, like others on the team, is convinced the project must be protected and fears Britain leaving the EU will end large scale endeavours like this which progress more steadily because of the wide collaboration among doctors and scientists.

She says: "Quite often there can be a lot of negativity around being diagnosed and living with the condition and in my work, I've worked with autism for twelve years, I have met some of the most skilled and highly intelligent people."

Van Velzen has been part of the study since it started.

Now he's hoping for a career in astrophysics.

"I think I'll work on either discovering more about our universe and our place in it, or working on ways to get to other parts of the universe," says Van Velzen.

After completing puzzles in record time he goes on for tests in the eye tracking unit.

Studies have used eye-tracing technology to see how long autistic children spend looking at the social and non-social features in a series of images on pictures and videos like these.

Ren's mother Jose Van Velzen is a cognitive neuroscientist herself although she does not work on this project.

While she is confident about her son's academic success she worries about how he will cope with work and whether he will find happiness in personal relationships.

She says: "It is sometimes challenging for Rens to keep track of what the person he's talking to is feeling and how he's being perceived. He's very much driven by telling things as they are, or how he sees them and of course in normal interaction, in normal relationships you constantly monitor what the other person is thinking. That's definitely very challenging for him and he is aware that this is one of his weaknesses he needs to work on he cannot always deal with it at that particular time and I think that is something in general that will make relationships and work environments quite a challenging place for him."

According to scientists here this project is the first of it kind in the world developing the infrastructure which will underpin new treatments for autism.

There are hundreds of scientists involved in British research projects which are funded by the EU.

The lead scientist on the autism project at Kings is Professor Declan Murphy - and he too is concerned about what Brexit will mean.

He says:"It's virtually impossible for one country alone to recruit the amount of patients that you really need for a large scale, modern day trial, or study that's going to lead to reliable results. We increasingly recognise that big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre from one country. For Example my work needs approximately a thousand individuals who are affected by autism. You couldn't recruit that from one centre, or from one country within a time frame that is meaningful, but we can do that by going to mulitple centres across Europe, working together and learning from eachother."

The EU's Horizon 2020 budget is 80-billion Euro which funds medicine and science research across Europe.

Britain's split from the EU will leave a funding gap as well as a brain drain according to Murphy and he argues it will be the children with autism who will lose out.

London, UK - 7 July 2016

1. Various CT scans showing liver cancer pre and post therapy to illustrate the relationship between tumours and glucose

2. Mid of Professor Xavier Golay looking at scans in his MRI lab at the UCL Institute of Neurology

3. Various of Golay and researcher looking at scans

4. Close of tumour in rat highlighted by non radioactive glucose

5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Xavier Golay, professor of neurophysics, UCL Institute of Neurology

"I've heard of at least two, three very senior people who've said okay right, now I'm taking all my grant with me and I'm going back to Germany, Switzerland, France because actually, in that way, they know they'll still have access and it's not only access to funding because the funding is great in this country, it is really good. It's really (about) access to funding and this opportunity to collaborate."

6. Close of autistic teenager Rens Van Velzen answering questions testing his cognitive and executive function at Kings College London

7. Close of psychologist Hannah Hayward asking questions

8. Mid of Velzen ticking off words he understands

9. Various of Velzen watching next task being set up

10. Mid of Velzen touching laptop screen to pick out the emotion displayed on the photo on the monitor

11. Close of Velzen touching the word "Cautious"

12. Close of touch screen

13. Mid of Velzen watching screen observed by Hayward

14. Close of Velzen

15. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hannah Hayward psychologist, EU Aims (autism research project) Kings College London

"One can go on to a life where they never speak, they are highly affected and quite disabled. Another person can go on (to be) fully verbal and become a professor at Cambridge (University) and someone else can go on and live a full life with marriage and children, why does that happen? Why does it affect people so differently when it's effectively the same condition? So we're trying to answer those questions, we're trying to understand why it affects different people in different ways and I think the thing that really attracted me to the project is because, we're trying to highlight the great skills and strengths in this group as well as the things that people find difficult."

16. Close of Hayward starting stopwatch

17. Close of cube pattern Velzen has to recreate

18. Close tilt down of Hayward observing

19. Close of Velzen

20. Close pan from pattern and blocks being constructed by Velzen

21. Mid of Velzen completing puzzle watched by Hayward

22. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rens Van Velzen, teenager in Kings College autisim research group

"Quite often when talking peer to peer, the other person can get frustrated with how I respond because they're (I'm) not responding the way that they're expecting me to respond as the people usually do. So quite often I don't pick up someone's annoyed, or that sort of thing. It's very hard to explain because I haven't had the experience of not having autism."

23. Various of Van Velzen completing other puzzles with black and yellow blocks

24. SOUNDBITE: (English) Hannah Hayward psychologist, EU Aims (autism research project) Kings College London

"Quite often there can be a lot of negativity around being diagnosed and living with the condition and in my work, I've worked with autism for twelve years, I have met some of the most skilled and highly intelligent people."

25. Various of Hayward attaching EEG wires to Van Velzen before eye tracking tests

26. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rens Van Velzen, teenager in Kings College autisim research group

"I think I'll work on either discovering more about our universe and our place in it, or working on ways to get to other parts of the universe."

27. Mid of monitor displaying photographs of facial expressions with options to pick the right description

28. Close of Van Velsen tapping keyboard

29. Mid of test continuing on monitor

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jose Van Velzen, Rens' mother (who is also a cognitive neuroscientist)

"It is sometimes challenging for Rens to keep track of what the person he's talking to is feeling and how he's being perceived. He's very much driven by telling things as they are, or how he sees them and of course in normal interaction, in normal relationships, you constantly monitor what the other person is thinking. That's definitely very challenging for him, and he is aware that this is one of his weaknesses he needs to work on he cannot always deal with it at that particular time and I think that is something in general that will make relationships and work environments quite a challenging place for him."

31. Mid rear view of Rens Van Velzen being shown photos in the eye tracking suite

32. Various of monitor

33. Various of Hayward carrying out tracking test

34. Hayward's monitor showing Rens Van Velzen responding to photographs

35. Mid rear view of Van Velzen watching animated patterns appear on screen

36. Various of Professor Declan Murphy lead scientist on the EU Aims study on autism

37. SOUNDBITE: (English) Professor Declan Murphy lead scientist, EU Aims study on autism, Kings College London

"It's virtually impossible for one country alone to recruit the amount of patients that you really need for a large scale, modern day trial, or study that's going to lead to reliable results. We increasingly recognise that big questions need big populations to come up with the right answers, and we simply cannot deliver the amount of patients for the amount of science from one centre from one country. For example, my work needs approximately a thousand individuals who are affected by autism. You couldn't recruit that from one centre, or from one country within a time frame that is meaningful, but we can do that by going to mulitple centres across Europe, working together and learning from eachother."

38. Mid rear view of Rens Van Velzen responding to picture during eyetracking test

39. Close of EEG reading on monitor

LEAD IN:

While most of us are waiting to find out when we can travel again, British pet owners wishing to visit the European Union are facing added complications.

Since the Brexit transition period ended, pet passports issued in the UK are no longer valid, and owners now have to get an 'animal health certificate' every time they travel with their pet.

STORY-LINE:

Like most of us, Louis the dog is looking forward to his next holiday, especially while the weather in London is cold and grey and lockdown restrictions mean there's little to do, other than walk in the park.

But it isn't just COVID-19 restrictions that could delay his next trip.

After the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020, pet passports issued in Great Britain became invalid for travel to an EU country or Northern Ireland.

From 1 January 2021, along with a microchip and valid rabies vaccination, pet dogs, cats and ferrets now need an animal health certificate from a vet.

As the founder of the private member's luxury hotel club Little Emperors, Louis' owner Rebecca Masri is a frequent traveller.

"It used to be very easy with a dog, I was able to just hop on a plane with his pet passport into Europe or wherever without a moment's thought," she explains.

"With the new Brexit regulations, the pet passport that was initially his access to the world is no longer valid and to get outside of the UK he requires a health certificate which I need to have every time he travels validated by a vet within a restricted time frame."

The animal health certificate is required every time the pet travels and must be issued by a vet no more than ten days before the date of travel.

It is then valid for just four months for onward travel within the EU and re-entry to Britain.

Masri adds that with all the travel disruption already created by the pandemic, this is a particularly unfortunate time for more restrictions.

"Travel is already complicated and I think this new requirement to travel with pets is going to be interesting depending on how complicated it is to get the new certificate that's required to travel," she says.

Masri adds that Louis' EU pet passport previously gave her the option to travel with him at short notice.

"That flexibility to just hop on and off a plane with my dog was probably taken for granted by me. Now that I know I have to add an additional step to my travel with Louis, and depending on how complicated it is, it might make me reconsider whether I would actually take him or not."

And the new requirements don't only apply to pets, they are also necessary to travel with assistance dogs.

"For someone like me who chooses to take my dog with me it's just a nuisance. But I feel for someone who perhaps must have their dog with them, perhaps has a guide dog and must go through the extra measures to travel as a necessity," says Masri.

It isn't just pet owners facing extra admin due to the changes. Issuing animal health certificates is likely to create a lot more work for vets too.

"It has become more complex, cumbersome and time consuming to travel with your pets into the EU," explains senior vice president of the British Veterinary Association, Daniella Dos Santos.

"We've gone from the simple pet passport scheme to this, an animal health certificate, which is a really long document that you have to go to your vet for every time you want to travel."

However, she says it's difficult to gauge exactly how much extra work will be required, since most travel is currently at a halt due to the pandemic:

"We do have to wait and see. But the reality is it's a lot more paperwork, a lot more cumbersome and a lot more frequent."

Dos Santos is urging British pet owners to be aware that a lot more forward planning will be required if they wish to travel to the EU with their pet.

"Much harder to just pop across the Channel for the weekend," she says. "You do need to plan in advance."

London, UK – 4 February 2021

1. Close of Louis the dog sitting on an old EU pet passport

2. Close of EU logo on pet passport

3. Various of Rebecca Masri, Founder, Little Emperors luxury hotel club, walking her dog Louis in the park

4. Various of Masri looking at the Little Emperors app on her phone  

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Masri, Founder, Little Emperors luxury hotel club:

"I travel frequently. Pre-corona I was probably travelling every week and it used to be very easy with a dog, I was able to just hop on a plane with his pet passport into Europe, or wherever, without a moment's thought. I know that with the new Brexit regulations the pet passport that was initially his access to the world is no longer valid and to get outside of the UK he requires a health certificate, which I need to have every time he travels validated by a vet within a restricted time frame."

6. Various of Masri playing with Louis in the park

7. Louis chewing a twig

8. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Masri, Founder, Little Emperors luxury hotel club:

"It's an interesting time to complicate travel even further given the year that we've all had. Travel is already complicated, and I think this additional, this new requirement to travel with pets is going to be interesting depending on how complicated it is to get the new certificate that's required to travel. The nature of a lot of my trips are quite last minute, so that flexibility to just hop on and off a plane with my dog was probably taken for granted by me. Now that I know I have to add an additional step to my travel with Louis, and depending on how complicated it is, it might make me reconsider whether I would actually take him or not."

9. Various of Louis sitting and looking around

10. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Masri, Founder, Little Emperors luxury hotel club:

"For someone like me who chooses to take my dog with me, it's just a nuisance, but I feel for someone who perhaps must have their dog with them, perhaps has a guide dog and must go through the extra measures to travel as a necessity."

11. Close of Louis

12. Masri looking at Little Emperors website with Louis in distance

13. People walking their dogs in a park

14. Mid of dog wagging tail

London, UK - 5 February 2021

15. Various of a cat sitting on a garden shed

London, UK - 4 February 2021

16. Various of Daniella Dos Santos, Senior Vice President of the British Veterinary Association, walking her dog Bridget Bones in a park

17. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniella Dos Santos, Senior Vice President, British Veterinary Association:

"Since January 2021 it has become more complex, cumbersome and time consuming to travel with your pets into the EU. We've gone from the simple pet passport scheme to this, an animal health certificate, which is a really long document that you have to go to your vet for every time you want to travel. You have to go to your vet no more than ten days before travel and once it's issued it's valid for four months for onward travel within the EU. Your pet still needs to be microchipped, still needs the rabies vaccine, still needs a three week wait."

18. Various of Animal Health Certificate

19. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniella Dos Santos, Senior Vice President, British Veterinary Association:

"So, we're not fully aware of the longer term, bigger picture impact because at the moment with COVID restrictions travel has been minimised. So, we do have to wait and see, but the reality is it's a lot more paperwork, a lot more cumbersome and a lot more frequent so for pet owners it involves a lot more forward planning. Much harder to just pop across the Channel for the weekend, you do need to plan in advance."

20. Various of Bridget Bones in park

21. SOUNDBITE (English) Daniella Dos Santos, Senior Vice President, British Veterinary Association:

"For vets it's a lot more time consuming. Every journey needs us to certify, and it's a much, much longer document. So, my message to pet owners would be plan in advance, this takes a lot longer and you need one every time you travel."

22. Dos Santos and Bridget Bones walking away

French President Emmanuel Macron held talks at the Elysee palace in Paris on Wednesday with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

At a joint news conference before their meeting, Macron commented on Brexit talks currently underway between the UK and the European Union.

"We are committed to ensure, obviously, that our relations with our (UK) neighbour are the best possible, but also that the interests and long-term strength of the single European market are preserved," he said.

The EU said earlier in the day there was now a clear, if narrow, path to reaching an agreement with the UK on a post-Brexit trade deal that should avoid costly chaos on the borders at the end of the year.

Costa commented on news that the EU medicines regulator would be approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine earlier than planned to accelerate its distribution.

He stressed the importance of guaranteeing the vaccine reached "all citizens of Europe", regardless of income levels or population size.

"It is very important that this effort of carrying out the vaccination is also joined by all member states," he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS VIA AGENCY POOL (REUTERS)

Paris - 16 December 2020

1. French President Emmanuel Macron stepping out of Elysee Palace

2. Macron waiting for arrival of Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa

3. Costa arriving, is greeted by Macron, they walk to podium

4. Mid of Costa

5. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:

"We are committed to ensure, obviously, that our relations with our (UK) neighbour are the best possible, but also that the interests and long-term strength of the single European market are preserved. And we know that our negotiators are in control."

6. Pan down of Christmas tree and Republican Guards

7. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Antonio Costa, Portuguese Prime Minister:

"It was excellent news we received yesterday that the European Medical Agency could bring forward the process of approval of the BioNTech Pfizer vaccine from the 29th to the 21st. What we are all making a great effort to achieve is to coordinate so that on the same day, all citizens in all member states can begin the vaccination process."

8. Mid of Macron and Costa

9. Close of Macron

10. SOUNDBITE (Portuguese) Antonio Costa, Portugal Prime Minister:

"The Commission did a great piece of work to secure the joint purchase. It is very important and a great demonstration of the value added of the European Union, the guarantee that all citizens of Europe, whatever state they are from, a bigger or smaller state, richer or poorer, northern or southern, eastern or western, will all have simultaneous access to the vaccine in accordance with our population. It is very important that this effort of carrying out the vaccination is also joined by all member states."

11. Cutaway flags

12. Macron and Costa entering Elysee Palace

French President Emmanuel Macron warned Tuesday France won't accept a Brexit trade agreement that does not respect its long-term interests.

Speaking from the French presidential palace after a meeting with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, Macron said France will be extremely vigilant on fair competition rules, adding that fishing in British waters is an "essential" issue.  

"An agreement must allow a balanced future relationship," he stressed.

De Croo agreed that "an agreement is importan, but not at any price."

The Belgian Prime Minister said the European Union and Britain are in the last moment of negotiations and compared it to the last moments of a football match.

"We may score a game-winning goal at the last minute," he said. "It's time to really see whether it's possible to move forward and get a deal."

The two also said they will apply restrictions to prevent vacationers from going to Swiss ski resorts while French slopes will remain closed during Christmas holidays amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

"If there are countries... which maintain their ski resorts open, we will have to take control measures" to dissuade people to go in these areas and to be fair toward French ski resorts, Macron said.

Details of the measures will be decided by the French government in the coming days, he added.

De Croo agreed that "we need solidarity... at our borders. We cannot ask (ski) resorts to stop their activities and see that people are travelling."

He added: "We don't need a virologist to know that if that's forbidden in France, doing it in another country may not be very clever."

France and Germany, which have closed their ski resorts, are pushing for similar measures to be taken in other European countries, like Italy and Spain, for the Christmas season.

Ski resorts are already open in Switzerland, which has allowed skiing.

Paris - 1 December 2020

1. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo

2. Round table of meeting

3. Set-up press briefing with French President Emmanuel Macron and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo

4. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:

"On the subject of Brexit, our position has been consistent: an agreement that must allow a balanced future relationship. France will not accept an agreement that does not respect our long-term interests."

5. Cutaway

6. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:

"The preservation of the activities of our fishermen in British waters is an essential condition. And so are the long-term market fair competition rules."

7. Cutaway

8. SOUNDBITE (French) Alexander De Croo, Belgian Prime Minister:

"An agreement is important, but of course, not at all costs. To maintain a fair economic situation between the European Union and the United Kingdom is clearly the important thing for us. But it's clear that we are in the last minutes of a soccer match. A decisive goal is possible in the last minutes as it is in the first minutes. But we are at that point in time where we need to see whether it's possible to move forward and get a deal."

9. Cutaway

10. SOUNDBITE (French) Emmanuel Macron, French President:

"If there are countries within or outside the EU that keep their ski resorts open, we will indeed have control measures to firstly dissuade our citizens from going to areas that are considered to be a risk for infection. And this is also so we do not create a situation of imbalance, with resorts in France, Italy, Germany having to remain closed when others are open."

11. Cutaway

12. SOUNDBITE (French) Alexander De Croo, Belgian Prime Minister:

"There must be solidarity between European countries and other countries at our borders. I think that we can't ask our ski resorts to remain closed and see people going elsewhere. In fact, all of us, we don't need a virologist to know that if that's forbidden in France, doing it in another country may not be very clever. If we have rules, there is a good reason why. It's clear that in Belgium as well, we will have control measures, controls at our borders to make sure that people who are coming back (into the country) have filled in the paperwork and that self-isolation and quarantine are respected. We strongly advise people not to travel. If they find it necessary after that, the quarantine period must be respected."

13. Press conference ends

UK TOYS

SOURCE: AP HORIZONS, LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY

RESTRICTIONS: HORIZONS CLIENTS AND AP LIFESTYLE, HEALTH AND TECHNOLOGY CLIENTS ONLY

LENGTH: 6.02

SHOTLIST:

London, UK - 9 November 2016

1. Close tilt up of Hatchimals egg box the most popular toy

2. Mid of Tiana Wilson with Santa who is holding a Hatchimal waiting for the toy to hatch

3. Various of Tiana Wilson and Santa Claus listening to toy hatch

4. Close of egg showing beak poking through eggshell

5. Close of Santa Claus watching

6. Various of Santa and Wilson releasing the hatching toy

7. Close of Wilson listening to the Hatchimal sing Happy Birthday

8. SOUNDBITE: (English) Tiana Wilson:

"So it can walk and then it sings Happy Birthday sometimes as well and then the eyes light up in different moods and stuff."

9. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"In all the years I've been selling toys, you know we've chased around Tracy Island, we've chased around Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids, but this seems to be just gone to another level and the thing is about Hatchimal, it comes as an egg, by nurturing it and keeping it warm the chick inside the egg starts to become warm, starts to become alive, starts to make noises and after a while it starts to spin around inside the egg and it starts pecking and it starts to break the egg open and then literally you hatch the egg."

10. Mid of Hatchimal on the floor being stroked

11. Various of packaged Hatchimals

12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"Something that's really disappointing for me as a parent and as a grandparent is that you've got the speculators involved. You've got people that are buying them when they can and putting back onto a number of the internet channels at nearly double the price, so parents who are desperate to get the toy they want for their own children are buying them from people who never wanted them, they only bought them because they wanted to make money on them, it's really disappointing, but this is going on throughout the world, it's happening in Canada, it's happening in the (United) States, it's happening in the UK, just everybody's chasing around for Hatchimals this Christmas."

13. Mid of boy playing with toy gun

14. Close tilt down of girl playing with the new Bluetooth connected Furby which responds to what she does with her smartphone, or tablet computer

15. Wide of woman showing girl how the new Furby works

16. Low wide angle of the girl tickling the Furby toy

17. Pan from Christmas tree to wide of girl walking her toy dog on a lead

18. Close of toy dog on a lead walking

19. Mid zoom out of a girl seated cuddling an interactive puppy

20. Mid zoom in to boys playing with Bluetooth Furbys

21. Low mid view of caterpillar going past boys and Furbys

22. Zoom out from wrapped Christmas presents in giant sack to reveal Santa Claus walking with analyst Frederique Tutt

23. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Just like Brexit in June we've seen the election hasn't actually traumatised the UK market at all, so since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

24. Tracking shot past model wearing costume of Silly Sausage to boy and girl playing Silly Sausage

25. Various of Silly Sausage toys being played

26. Wide of new range of Barbie dolls

27. Close tilt up of one of the new 'curvy' Barbie

28. Close tilt down from new afro Caribbean Barbie

29. Various of Barbies

30. SOUNDBITE: (English) Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst, NPD:

"Probably ten percent. If we had to put a figure I would say there is a risk toys can increase by ten percent (in 2017)."

31. Close of bendy and stretchy muscle man toy

32. UPSOUND: (English) voice of Darth Vader from Star Wars over tilt up shot of Vader model

"Release your anger. If you only knew the power of the dark side."

33. Wide of Darth Vader model

34. Various of children playing with dog in a bath toy

35. SOUNDBITE: (English) Gary Grant, retailer, Chairman, Dream Toys selection committee:

"Many decisions that people are considering are on pause until we know the outcome of some of the discussions that are taking place about free passage of goods, movement of people and so on."

36. Zoom in of boy stroking interactive puppy

LEADIN:

Retailers in the UK have just revealed their top twelve 'must have' toys for boys and girls this Christmas.

The toy industry is predicting bumper sales, although it admits the US election of Donald Trump and Britain's EU exit vote earlier this year could lead to higher prices in 2017.

STORYLINE:

This is the toy everyone is raving about in the run up to Christmas.

Hatchimals respond to nurturing and warmth until eventually the egg cracks open and you have a new chick to take care of.

It's one of twelve toys which have made it to the list of Dream Toys which are selected each year by the industry.

Santa Claus and school girl Tiana Wilson are clearly fascinated and the excitement builds up as the chick starts hatching.

Wilson happily lists the toys attractions: "So it can walk and then it sings Happy Birthday sometimes as well and then the eyes light up in different moods and stuff."

A lot of interactive, or responsive toys like Hatchimals are most popular this winter, although the old favourites like Thomas the Tank Engine and Lego have secured places on the top toy list.

Toys like Furby have been updated with new technology so they are connected to computers via bluetooth.

Gary Grant the chairman of Dream Toys' selection committee says: "In all the years I've been selling toys, you know we've chased around Tracy Island, we've chased around Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Kids, but this seems to be just gone to another level and the thing is about Hatchimal, it comes as an egg, by nurturing it and keeping it warm the chick inside the egg starts to become warm, starts to become alive, starts to make noises and after a while it starts to spin around inside the egg and it starts pecking and it starts to break the egg open and then literally you hatch the egg."

Securing a Hatchimal this year might be tricky. According to Grant, there is already a worldwide shortage of the toy because the factory can't make enough of them.

Globally the demand for the Hatchimal is over a quarter of a million units, and the company expects to sell over 100,000 toys at around £60 each.

Grant says the shortage has meant some people are buying them to resell at a profit.

He says: "Something that's really disappointing for me as a parent and as a grandparent is that you've got the speculators involved. You've got people that are buying them when they can and putting back onto a number of the internet channels at nearly double the price, so parents who are desperate to get the toy they want for their own children are buying them from people who never wanted them, they only bought them because they wanted to make money on them, it's really disappointing, but this is going on throughout the world, it's happening in Canada, it's happening in the (United) States, it's happening in the UK, just everybody's chasing around for Hatchimals this Christmas."

One of the less expensive toys making the list this year is the Silly Sausage which tests your dexterity.

This is the new Barbie range developed to reflect the diversity in our societies.

The shape of the dolls is less extreme and more in keeping with natural proportions of young women.

There is even a 'curvy' Barbie, but you have to look closely to tell the difference between them.

There is a great deal of trepidation in the industry.

Analysts say 2015 was a record year with the global market valued at 86 billion dollars with an average growth of 7% across all the major markets.

But the US election and Britain's withdrawal from the EU is creating a great deal of uncertainty, over currency values and more importantly the security of existing trade deals.

Frederique Tutt, a global analyst who's a specialist on the toy industry says we shouldn't assume that it's going to be a gloomy future.

Tutt says: "Just like Brexit in June we've seen the election hasn't actually traumatised the UK market at all, so since the Brexit vote the toy market has been faring really well with an increase of three percent."

Toy retailers operate many months ahead so Tutt says there won't be price rises this year.

This is because trading is done in US dollars and most companies will have already stocked up on the currency to hedge against any drastic changes.

Tutt however admits price increases are likely next year and she says: "Probably ten percent. If we had to put a figure I would say there is a risk toys can rise by ten percent (in 2017)."

This Darth Vader is more of an adult toy.

Hidden sensors mean he can call out when you least expect him to.

Although there's the same old excitement about the approach of the winter holidays and the biggest gift buying time of the year, the industry is concerned about what lies ahead.

Grant says: "Many decisions that people are considering are on pause until we know the outcome of some of the discussions that are taking place about free passage of goods, movement of people and so on."

They say a puppy isn't just for Christmas, but sometimes they are.

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