Brexit

Telegraph
A Brexit trade deal could be agreed this week if Britain compromises over fishing rights, the European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said on Monday. As talks continued in Brussels, Mr Barnier said the UK had moved towards the EU’s demands for level playing field guarantees in the trade agreement.  Mr Barnier told EU ambassadors in a behind-closed-doors meeting that, for the first time, the UK had accepted a “rebalancing mechanism”, which means it could be hit by tariffs if it split too far from EU rules. The UK’s chief negotiator, David Frost, had asked the EU to drop demands linking the fishing and trade agreements in return for the concession but Brussels had turned him down, Mr Barnier said. “He was a lot less gloomy than I was expecting,” one EU diplomatic source said.

Mail
Hopes for a Brexit trade deal were rising last night after the EU softened its stance on tariffs. Sources involved in the talks said Brussels had dropped demands for the power to impose instant ‘lightning tariffs’ if the UK diverges from the bloc’s rules. In signs of a breakthrough, the two sides are now attempting to thrash out the details for an independent arbitration system for future complaints from either side. The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier claimed the UK had made the first move, accepting ‘for the first time’ that Brussels should have the right to take action if the independent UK strays too far from the single market’s ‘level playing field’.

Fisheries

Express
FRENCH fishermen have threatened to blockade Dover and Calais if there is a no deal Brexit – warning it could spark “warlike” scenes in the English Channel. Trawlermen warned they would disrupt the flow of ferries carrying vital goods in response to being shut out of Britain’s fishing grounds. A union baron said Britain’s threat to send gunboats to police the UK’s coastal waters “would mean that we are negotiating things that relate to war”. Downing Street is still claiming a no deal Brexit is the “most likely” outcome for the trade talks.  Dimitri Rogoff, president of Normandy’s regional fisheries committee, claimed the move would see Dutch, Belgian and German ships flocking into French waters. He said: “If we are deprived of our fishing grounds, we will not watch the British supply the French market.

Express
BREXIT fishing disputes between France and the UK could derail trade deal talks with the EU, as Paris warns Britain will lose more from its departure from the bloc. Brexit trade talks have been extended as time to secure a trade deal between the UK and the EU is running out. The main issue standing in the way of a deal is fisheries, EU negotiator Michel Barnier said, claiming that a deal could be done if a compromise is made. Mr Barnier said there could be a deal “if both sides can come out of their trenches on fish”. But this requires more than just the agreement of Mr Barnier and the UK negotiating team.  Mr Barnier must also secure the approval of all 27 EU member states, including France, but its President Emmanuel Macron is showing little sign that he will budge.

Mail
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace last night waded into the row over using Navy ships to stop EU trawlers fishing in UK waters.  He defended the plans after the Mail revealed the Navy was preparing to deploy four patrol boats if trade talks collapse without an agreement on fishing rights. Speaking on a visit to British troops in Estonia’s capital Tallinn, he said: ‘We will be there to make sure we protect our fishermen because they have the right and deserve to be protected… going about their lawful business.’ Mr Wallace reminded ‘our European friends’ that ‘whatever happens in negotiations, we must respect each other’s sovereign waters and indeed follow the rule of law and behave peacefully’.

Express
THE EU Parliament said it would have been “unacceptable” to give UK’s seafood producers access to the bloc’s markets if EU trawlers were not allowed to enter British fishing grounds after Brexit. This week, the EU and the UK will push harder to strike an agreement on their future trade relationship after both sides agreed “to go the extra mile”. A deadline to finish the talks had been set for Sunday, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to an extension after discussing the major sticking points in a phone call.

Times
European fishermen have warned that they are prepared to blockade Calais and other ports in the event that a no-deal Brexit excludes them from operating in UK waters. In a direct threat to the government, less than three weeks before the end of the transition period, Dimitri Rogoff, the head of Normandy’s regional fisheries committee said that his members would prevent ferries carrying British exports from docking at the French port.  He added that such a blockade would almost certainly be backed by Dutch and Belgian fishermen who would also face exclusion from UK waters at the end of the year.

Sun
BREXIT fishing tensions exploded today after the Defence Secretary vowed to use the full might of the Navy to protect British boats “going about their lawful business”. Ben Wallace warned Britain was ready for “whatever is the challenge on 1 January” after French fishermen vowed to blockade the Channel if there is No Deal.  And they said Britain’s threat to send gunboats in to repel foreign vessels “would mean that we are negotiating things that relate to war”. He hit out: “When it comes to a Brexit deal whatever that is, it is no secret that we would use our military to help support in logistics or anything else as required by other departments – we only do things at the request of civilians. If they ask for help we will give it.”

Mail
Europe’s press has declared the ‘battle for fisheries is now on,’ as papers warn we ‘can’t allow failure,’ but ‘no one is willing to bear the responsibility’. Sunday’s deadline to reach a deal on the free trade agreement between Britain and the European Union was extended until the end of the month yesterday, with Boris Johnson warning the two sides were still ‘very far apart’. Europeans awoke to the news in today’s papers as Le Courrier Picard in France asked: ‘To Deal or Not to Deal?’ The paper said negotiations were set to ‘drag on,’ between both sides with ‘no one willing to bear the responsibility for the failure,’ of not reaching an agreement.

EU

Express
BREXIT talks have been hit by a major blow after the two sides failed to agree to substantial elements of a deal this week, sparking anger in Brussels. As it stands, the issues of fair competition, fisheries and governance still remain the main areas of divergence between Michel Barnier and Lord David Frost. However, other substantial elements within the deal, such as the Erasmus+ exchange programme have caused talks to stall. Such is the chaos over the matter, one MEP compared negotiating with the UK to “climbing the Himalayas”.

Times
Britain and the EU have the “architecture” in place for a deal on one of the most contentious areas of the Brexit negotiations, the head of the European Commission has said. Amid rising hopes of progress, Ursula von der Leyen suggested that there had been “movement” on the principles of so-called level playing field in the agreement and negotiators were now working on the “details”.  Brussels had wanted the right to impose unilateral tariffs on Britain if it failed to keep up with new EU rules that could distort trade between the two sides. They have now dropped this demand and instead talks are focusing on the process by which tariffs could be applied, including whether it would be subject to binding arbitration.

Express
NORWAY is seemingly keen on loosening relations with Brussels as a Eurosceptic party tops the polls in the upcoming 2021 elections. The Centre Party, which is currently leading in opinion polls wants a “looser deal” with Brussels. It comes as the ruling Conservative Party threatened to block EU vessels from Norwegian waters if a UK Brexit trade deal isn’t secured.  The Nordic nation is not part of the EU but is part of the European single market meaning it is forced to follow certain Brussels policies through the European Economic Area Agreement which it has no say over as a non-member. But the deal allows Oslo to retain more control over key parts of its economy particularly its fishing grounds.

New strain

Telegraph
A mutant strain of coronavirus has been used by Matt Hancock to justify plunging 11 million people into the harshest tier of restrictions. From midnight on Tuesday, London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will enter Tier 3, meaning pubs, restaurants and theatres will have to close amid warnings of “catastrophic” economic consequences. The move means 34 million people in England will be in Tier 3 (more than 61 per cent of the population) with a further review of the tiers to be announced on Thursday. The Health Secretary said the new strain was more contagious and causing an “exponential” rise in infections in the south east, leaving ministers with no option but to take “swift, decisive action” three days before the completion of the review of the current tiers.

BBC News
Millions more people are to move into England’s toughest tier of Covid rules, after warnings a new strain of the virus may be linked to a rise in cases. London, most of Essex and parts of Hertfordshire will join tier three at 00:01 GMT on Wednesday. The health secretary said action was needed to slow a spike in cases. No 10 said it would not review Christmas rules but people have been urged to keep social contact to a “minimum” during the festive period. “We’ve got to trust the British people to act responsibly and do the minimum that is possible for them in their family situation,” cabinet minister Stephen Barclay told BBC Breakfast.

Mail
Christmas gatherings are at risk after Matt Hancock sounded the alarm about the emergence of a new strain of coronavirus as he plunged 11million more people into tough Tier 3 lockdown restrictions.  Over the festive period, restrictions are supposed to be eased to allow up to three households to meet for five days over the festive period.  But government scientists fear this could fuel the new Covid variant that may be behind a surge of cases in southern England. Urgent talks are under way in Whitehall on whether to tighten regulations in response. A source said: ‘The Christmas rules might change.’ Downing Street insisted there were no such plans despite a rise in infections that means London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will be put under Tier Three curbs from tonight.

Mirror
Matt Hancock revealed today that there is a new strain of coronavirus in England as he announced new areas are to be plunged into Tier 3. The Health Secretary said the new mutated variant of Covid-19 is “growing faster” than previous strains. But he was quick to reassure the nation there is no evidence that the new strain is resistant to the vaccine being rolled out across the UK but it is being analysed by Government scientists “right now”. Mr Hancock cited the development as one reason for rising infection rates in London and the South East which means the capital, parts of Essex and areas of Hertfordshire will be subjected to tighter restrictions from midnight on Wednesday.

Sun
A NEW Covid strain which may spread even quicker is ripping through the South – as Matt Hancock last night plunged 11million more Brits into Tier 3. The Health Secretary told MPs more than 1,000 cases of the new “variant” has been discovered in up to 60 places across the UK – and the World Health Organisation has been informed. London and parts of Essex and Hertfordshire will move into Tier 3 from midnight tonight. It now means 34million people – 61 per cent of the population – will face the toughest rules. Brits in those areas can’t see friends and family they don’t live with indoors or outdoors – unless they are in a support bubble.

Huffington Post
“We know from experience that the best thing to do in the face of this virus is to act fast, not to wait to see its growth continue – and we do not rule out further action.” As he announced London and other parts of the south east would go into the highest tier of Covid restrictions this week, Matt Hancock sounded decisive, forthright and bold. The numbers for the capital, Essex and Hertfordshire were certainly alarming. And the health secretary sounded like someone who had learned from the past two waves of this awful virus that acting quickly and firmly was crucial.

Times
Most of England will fall under the toughest Covid-19 restrictions tomorrow as ministers warn that a new strain of the virus may be driving big rises in the southeast. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said that there was “not a moment to spare” as he put 11 million people in London, most of Essex and part of Hertfordshire into Tier 3 restrictions.  Restaurants and pubs must close except for takeaways and Mr Hancock suggested that people avoid Christmas shopping in Oxford Street and the rest of central London. Coronavirus cases are doubling every seven days in some areas and Mr Hancock said that “sharp rises” among all age groups would lead to more people dying unless action was taken quickly.

Breitbart
London and surrounding areas will be placed under the highest level of coronavirus restrictions from Wednesday as infections rise rapidly in the capital, Britain’s health secretary said Monday, adding that a new variant of the virus may be to blame for the spread. Matt Hancock said the government must take swift action after seeing “very sharp, exponential rises” in Greater London and nearby Kent and Essex. He said that in some areas, cases are doubling every seven days. He told lawmakers that the surge of COVID-19 cases in southern England may be associated with a new variant of coronavirus.

Vaccine

ITV News
Vaccinating the entire UK population against Covid-19 is likely to take almost a year, even with no interruptions, leading scientists are warning. While the rapid development of coronavirus vaccines is a “remarkable achievement”, there is still a long way to go, Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), which advises the government, and Professor Tim Cook, a consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine from the University of Bristol, said. Writing in the journal Anaesthesia, they said: “The scale of the vaccination programme should not be underestimated: 1,000 vaccination centres each vaccinating 500 people a day for five days a week, without interruptions of supply or delivery, would take almost a year to provide two doses to the UK population.

Pre-Christmas isolation

Mail
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has urged Britons to consider pre-isolating now before meeting vulnerable elderly relatives at Christmas to lessen the risk. Covid lockdown rules are set to be eased to allow up to three households to form a ‘bubble’ for five days over the festive period.  But Mr Hancock said people should be cautious ‘two weeks ahead’ and take ‘personal responsibility’ around what they choose to do both before and during the relaxed rule period. Britain yesterday recorded a further 20,263 coronavirus cases, in a rise of more than a third on last Monday’s total. Official figures released on Monday also revealed 232 people died after testing positive for the virus – in a 22.8 per cent spike on the 189 deaths seen on the same day last week.

Lockdown

Mail
The number of coronavirus cases in England dropped by a quarter during the second national lockdown, a Government-backed study has revealed. Scientists found 1,299 positive cases out of 160,000 people over three weeks to December 3 – approximately 0.94 per cent, or 94 cases per 10,000 people. This was a drop from the previous three weeks to November 2 when 1,732 out of 160,000 swabs were positive, which showed 1.08 per cent of the population was infected, or 108 per 10,000. When the data was broken down by regions, however, it revealed a varied picture with infections sliding downwards in some places but ticking upwards in others despite the uniform forced closure of pubs, bars and restaurants.

DNR

Mail
They enjoy life to the full and don’t want their days to end on the whim of a doctor’s signature. These four pensioners are bravely fighting back against a draconian NHS policy that sees over-65s assessed for frailty and handed notices saying they will be denied resuscitation if they suffer a heart attack or stop breathing. Bob, Peter, Stella and Shirley have all told the Mail they were slapped with a DNAR (do not attempt resuscitation) order against their wishes. They are among hundreds of people who have written to tell us that DNARs were wrongly put on their medical files or those of their loved ones.

World War III

Express
THE UK, USA, New Zealand and Canada are poised to defend Australia in its trade war with China as tensions continue to erupt. The allied nations – which form the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – are in preliminary discussions on how to respond to China’s sanctions, according to NewsCorp. It could mean the countries impose their own restrictions to counter Beijing.  The latest Australian exports being sanctioned by China are cotton and lamb. The join a list which includes seafood, wine, coal, beef, cotton and barley. China, Australia’s top overall export market, was worth $104 billion in 2019, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) notes.

Supervolcano

Express
A YELLOWSTONE volcano scientist identified the “explosive” magma three miles below the supervolcano, before sending a warning over a “world-ending” eruption. The caldera inside Yellowstone National Park is dubbed a supervolcano due to its capacity to inflict global devastation in the event of a supereruption. It was formed during the last three big events over the past 2.1 million years, with the most recent Lava Creek eruption occurring approximately 630,000 years ago. Located beneath the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, the area is constantly monitored by the USGS (United States Geological Survey) for signs that history could repeat itself.

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