Brexit

Sun
BREXIT talks are back on today after Boris Johnson and Brussels agreed to keep talking until Sunday. After a three-hour fish supper with the EU boss Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Johnson flew back to London last night with both leaders cautiously backing a fresh round of haggling. Negotiators had insisted that they could go no further without concessions from the leaders, sparking speculation one side has now blinked. No10 said the dinner was “frank” while the EU said it was “lively and interesting.” But both sides ordered their teams back round the table after unlocking the standoff over a symbolic three-course meal of scallops and turbot. Fishing access is one of the major sticking points to a new trade deal that must be inked and approved by MPs by New Year in order to avoid No Deal chaos. The pair will decide on Sunday whether to carry on talking more or officially call time on the testy talks that were deadlocked over demands that Mr Johnson had said no PM could agree.

Express
BORIS Johnson has warned the European Union he will walk away from Brexit talks by the end of the week unless it drops attempts to “punish” Britain for leaving the bloc. During a tense three-hour stand-off, the Prime Minister warned he would quit the trade and security talks unless Brussels drops its attempts to keep Britain wrapped up in red tape. The wrangling over the future relationship pact now teeters on the brink of collapse with “very large gaps” between the two sides on future fishing rights and common standards.

Times
Boris Johnson and EU leaders gave their Brexit negotiators four more days last night to get a deal as they warned that “very large gaps” remained between the two sides. After three hours of “frank” discussion in Brussels between the prime minister and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU Commission, Downing Street said it was “unclear” whether the remaining differences could be bridged.  The two leaders gave their teams until Sunday to reach an agreement but said that if a deal was not possible by then, a “firm” decision would have to be taken to suspend talks and prepare for a Brexit without one.

Mail
Britain is teetering on the brink of no deal Brexit last night after Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen set a final deadline of Sunday for a breakthrough and warned that ‘very large’ gaps remain. The PM and the EU chief took stock of the dire situation for more than three hours as they ate steamed turbot and scallops – the source of many skirmishes between UK and French fishing boats – at the commission’s HQ in Brussels. But the pair failed to find a way through the impasse that has left trade talks on the verge of collapse, a year after Britain formally left the bloc.

BBC News
Boris Johnson’s dinner with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen – aimed at breaking the Brexit trade deadlock – has ended without agreement. Downing Street said “very large gaps remain” but talks will continue, with a “firm decision” by Sunday on whether a deal can be reached. Mrs von der Leyen said the two sides were still “far apart”. Talks between the UK’s chief negotiator Lord Frost and the EU’s Michel Barnier will resume in Brussels later.

Telegraph
Boris Johnson has given Brexit negotiators until this Sunday to avoid a no-deal after a meeting with the European Commission president failed to bridge “very large gaps” between the two sides. The Prime Minister said he did not want to “leave any route to a possible deal untested” but was downbeat about the chances of an agreement after his three-hour dinner with Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels. During their meeting Mr Johnson and Mrs von der Leyen had “a frank discussion about the significant obstacles which remain”. Mrs von der Leyen described the talks as “lively and interesting” and enabled the two sides to “gain a clear understanding of each other’s positions” which “remain far apart”.

ITV News
“Major differences” remain between the UK and European Union in reaching a post-Brexit trade deal, Downing Street has said after crunch talks between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen made little headway and the situation remains “very difficult”. The prime minister and European Commission president agreed that a “firm decision” about the future of the negotiations should be made by Sunday. Discussions will continue between the UK and EU’s negotiating teams over the next few days in a bid to resolve the remaining issues. Boris Johnson had travelled to the European Commission headquarters to dine with president Ursula von der Leyen and hold talks, after negotiations between officials ended in deadlock.

Guardian
A Brexit deal must be sealed by Sunday or there will be no deal, Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen agreed after a “lively and frank” three-hour summit that set the stage for a dramatic final act of the negotiations. Despite nine months of troubled talks, “very large gaps” were said to remain between the UK and EU. The leaders said they should come to a deal or no deal outcome by the end of the weekend, with pressure on both sides to find time for parliamentary ratification. Downing Street said the meeting in Brussels had been “frank” – a diplomatic expression for a heated conversation.

Fisheries

Mail
Fish has proved one of the most difficult parts of a Brexit trade deal to swallow for the negotiating teams, but it was served to Boris Johnson on a plate during crunch talks in Brussels. The PM dined on a starter of scallops and a main course of steamed turbot when he met with EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen last night. The two leaders were joined by their chief negotiators and officials for the three-course dinner at the Berlaymont building aimed at breaking the deadlock in the protracted trade deal talks. Negotiations have faltered on fishing rights, among other issues, and the Commission’s menu will be seen as a pointed gesture by some but a sign that it has a sense of humour by others.

EU

Telegraph
Britons will be precluded from travelling to EU countries in the new year when the Brexit transition period ends. Travellers from a limited number of countries with low coronavirus rates are allowed to visit EU countries for non-essential travel. When the UK exits the bloc on Jan 1, residents will no longer be able to freely travel in Europe under the bloc’s Covid safety rules, according to the Financial Times. Eight non-EU countries, including Singapore, Australia and New Zealand, are on the list of “safe” third nations.

Yahoo News
UK travel to the Europe will be restricted after the Brexit transition period expires at the end of the month due to Covid-19 rules, it has been reported. Non-essential visits to the EU by British citizens will be hit by curbs, according to the Financial Times. Most UK residents will face restrictions on visiting the remaining 27 members of the EU from January 1 when rules permitting free travel within the bloc cease to apply to Britons, the newspaper said. In response to the reports, a Government spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on decisions that could be taken by other states on public health matters.”

Sun
MILLIONS of Brits may be banned from European holidays from January 1 under Covid rules after Britain leaves the EU. Pandemic safety regulations allowing free travel within the European Union will stop applying to Britain at the start of 2021. The UK’s Brexit  transition period with the EU ends on December 31. The EU is only allowing essential travel from non-EU countries with low infection rates during the pandemic. But only travellers from eight of these countries are currently allowed into the EU, The Financial Times reports.

Telegraph
The number of lorry drivers on British roads has gone into reverse as EU nationals head home, threatening further disruption at backlogged UK ports. The latest figures showed just 25,000 EU nationals working as heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers in the UK at the end of June, down from 37,000 at the end of 2019.  The exodus was revealed by trade body Logistics UK’s Skills Shortage Report, to be launched next week but seen by the Telegraph. It has fuelled an 8pc fall in the number of drivers in the UK industry overall from 313,000 to 287,000 and has pushed up the average age of drivers to almost 50, the report said.

Northern Ireland

Telegraph
UK sovereignty will be threatened by the continued role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Northern Ireland after January 1, senior Brexiteers have warned. Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, confirmed in the Commons on Wednesday that the UK will “accept the acquis [the body of EU law] in a specific number of areas in Northern Ireland” from next year. EU law will still apply to key areas such as customs and state aid, a leading pro-Leave barrister said, after the Government this week withdrew contentious clauses from Brexit legislation that sought to curtail the ECJ’s involvement in domestic UK affairs.

Scotland

Express
NICOLA STURGEON and the Scottish Government are looking at developing closer ties with the EU amid increasing concerns a no-deal Brexit may occur. The SNP led administration has become increasingly frustrated of being left out of Brexit negotiations with officials fearing a “last-minute shady deal” would be struck. It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen admitted there were still difference after meeting in Brussels tonight.  The two leaders agreed the UK and EU will continue talks on a post-Brexit trade deal the end of the transition period looms closer.

International trade

Express
LIZ TRUSS has announced Britain reached a £17 billion trade agreement with Singapore. The deal is “the second biggest agreement” secured by the UK in the Asia Pacific region, according to the International Trade Secretary. The signing of the deal comes as Britain prepares for the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.  Ms Truss said the deal will create more certainty for businesses and tighten ties in digital and services trade. She added that it demonstrates Britain can thrive as an independent trading country. Before signing the deal, Ms Truss praised the future relations between the UK and Singapore.  She said: “Fifty five years after Singapore’s independence, the UK is re-emerging as a fully independent nation, and a major force in global trade.

Mirror
The UK has signed a trade agreement with Singapore covering trade worth £17.6 billion, the International Trade Secretary has announced. With EU trade talks hanging by a thread, Liz Truss trumpeted a new pact with the south-east Asian city state on Thursday. Posting a photograph of herself with Singapore’s trade minister Chan Chun Sing, Ms Truss said it was the second biggest such agreement Britain has signed in the Asia-Pacific region. It comes as the UK and the EU set a new deadline for a breakthrough on a post-Brexit trade deal on Sunday – which could see the UK crash out of the bloc without agreement within weeks.

Illegal immigrants

Mail
Criminal charges against 69 Albanian migrants found hiding in a trawler heading for Britain were dropped yesterday after a legal bungle. The migrants were arrested last month after the fishing boat was intercepted off the coast of East Anglia. The operation on November 17 involved the National Crime Agency, police and Border Force officers. But plans to prosecute them for illegal entry to the UK have now been abandoned because when arrested, they had not yet set foot on British soil – a key criteria under the law. Alp Mehmet of Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for tougher border controls, said: ‘What on earth is the point of elaborate operations to take action against illegal entry if the legal process is then going to be bungled so spectacularly?

Mail
A gang of 15 migrants left a British lorry driver bloodied after smashing the window of his cab with a rock while he waited in a queue in Calais. Andy Couper, 57, was left with blood pouring down his face after being attacked by the gang while waiting in his vegetable-filled lorry to board a ferry at the French port. He told The Telegraph how some of the migrants tried to get into his lorry before ‘someone hit the truck’ and the ‘whole passenger window’ was smashed, leaving him injured.  Highlighting the increasing dangers hauliers are facing, a separate video filmed by another lorry driver, Greg West, showed a group of migrants opening the rear door of the truck in front before they were seen throwing projectiles at Mr West’s vehicle.

Civil serpents

Mail
Boris Johnson is being sued by civil servants for clearing Priti Patel of bullying, despite an independent report which concluded she had shouted and sworn at staff. Lawyers for Civil Service mandarins delivered a pre-action notice to Downing Street on Wednesday which accused the Prime Minister of acting unlawfully when he chose to stand by his Home Secretary and overrule his independent adviser. The letter obtained by The Times accuses Mr Johnson of ‘setting a damaging precedent which gives carte blanche to the kind of unacceptable conduct which the home secretary was found to have committed.’

Hospital acquired infections

Mail
Coronavirus hospital admissions have begun to rise again after the second national lockdown ended last week, official figures show – after it emerged that more than 10,000 people acquired the disease when they were being treated in hospital for other illnesses. Data released by the Department for Health indicated that the average number of hospital admissions stood at 1,262 for England on Sunday – up three per cent from the week before. The growth in hospitalisations was mainly drive by increases in London, which is teetering on the brink of being moved from Tier 2 to the ‘at most risk’ Tier 3 restrictions that would decimate the City’s economy.

Sun
MORE than 10,000 Covid patients caught the disease in hospital while being treated for other illnesses – with one in six infections taking place on wards. One NHS Trust in England recorded nearly four in every 10 Covid infections were picked up on its wards, The Daily Telegraph reports. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said 139 out of its 357 Covid-19 patients caught the virus after being admitted, shocking figures show. Five patients treated at the Trust’s hospitals died. At Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust the figure was 36.6 per cent.

Vaccine

Mail
British scientists yesterday attempted to quash public panic about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which is currently being rolled-out across the country, following reports that two NHS staff suffered an ‘anaphylactoid reaction’ just after being immunised on V-Day yesterday. Within 24 hours of the biggest-ever mass vaccination programme in British history, the UK’s drug regulator told anyone with a serious allergy to medicines or food was told not to have the much-vaunted jab. The number of people set to be barred is not known, though up to seven million people in the country have allergies severe enough to require medical care, according to the NHS – while around 250,000 people need to carry an EpiPen at all times.

Mirror
GPs will start booking vaccination appointments within days with more than a million more doses set to arrive in Britain next week. The elderly and care home workers will receive letters to receive their jab at surgeries from next week after hospitals started the historic vaccination programme this week. Details of the next stage of the staggered rollout emerged as Prof Chris Whitty said social distancing restrictions could start being lifted once 20 million vulnerable Brits have been vaccinated. The comments made by England’s Chief Medical Officer in evidence before MPs offered hope of a return to normality before Spring.

Racism

Telegraph
A major row erupted on Wednesday night over the racism scandal to engulf the Champions League after John Barnes proclaimed there was ­nothing wrong with a match official describing an African coach as “the black one”. The former Liverpool and England winger leapt to the defence of Sebastian Coltescu, whose alleged abuse of Pierre Webo led to both teams walking off the pitch during Paris St-Germain’s game against Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday night. The match, which was abandoned, was played to a conclusion on Wednesday with players from both sides taking a knee and sporting “No to Racism” T-shirts before a 5-1 PSG win featuring a Neymar hat-trick and Kylian Mbappe brace.

Sun
JOHN BARNES has defended the fourth official who allegedly referred to Istanbul Basaksehir’s assistant coach as ‘the black one’, insisting it was NOT racist. Romanian official Sebastian Coltescu faces a TEN-GAME ban after sparking a race row for his description of Istanbul No2 Pierre Webo that saw Tuesday night’s Champions League game in Paris abandoned. Cameroonian Webo was initially shown a red card by ref Ovidiu Hategan after Colescu singled him out for speaking out of turn from the bench. Footage appeared to show the fourth official saying: “The black one over there. Go and check who he is. The black one over there, it’s not possible to act like that.”

Mail
John Barnes has come out in defence of the fourth official at the centre of a race storm following Paris Saint-Germain’s postponed Champions League game with Istanbul Basaksehir. Players accused Romanian official Sebastian Coltescu of racially abusing Basaksehir’s assistant coach Pierre Webo in the early stages of the match – by using the word ‘negru’, meaning ‘black’ in Romanian, to identify him to the referee. The Group H encounter was suspended midway through the first half after the furious argument that followed, which prompted both sides to collectively decide to walk from the field.

Rugby

Telegraph
The Rugby Players’ Association are prepared to start legal proceedings against the law firm representing former rugby players with early onset dementia over damaging claims that it is not fit for purpose. Along with the revelation that former internationals Steve Thompson, Alix Popham and Michael Lipman intend to launch a lawsuit against rugby authorities for negligence in their management of concussions, law firm Rylands Law Ltd released a set of XV “commandments” to make the game safer. Point IV was that the RPA is effectively compromised as a players’ union by the substantial funding it receives from the Rugby Football Union which it says represents a “considerable conflict of interest”.

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