Trade talks

Mirror
Brexit trade deal talks with the EU aren’t even set to kick off before March – let alone finish quickly, Brussels chiefs warned today. The European Commission said it will “take some time” to agree its starting position despite Downing Street saying the UK was ready to talk from February 1. The news is a blow to Boris Johnson – as it means he will only have 10 months, not 11, to secure a trade deal with the EU before a December 31 deadline. The Tory leader has ruled out extending the “transition period” beyond that date, and if there’s no deal EU rules will end at the stroke of 11pm on New Year’s Eve.

Telegraph
The EU will not engage in trade talks with the UK until the end of February at the earliest, the European Commission has confirmed.  Eric Mamer, the European Commission spokesman, said the commission would only “adopt its proposal for the negotiation directives only once the UK has actually withdrawn from the EU”. Mr Mamer said negotiations will be started “as quickly as we can” but cautioned that it would not be “before the end of February, beginning of March”.

Express
THE EU provoked fresh anger by attempting to delay post-Brexit trade talks until March. Eurocrats warned it could “take some time” for the European Commission to draw up its own position despite the UK being ready to start hammering out a deal immediately. They warned that the bloc would not even consider its own proposals until Britain leaves on January 31. The EU’s lackadaisical timeline provoked widespread dismay and is likely to frustrate Boris Johnson who said Britain wants trade talks to start the morning after Brexit and to be concluded by the end of 2020.

Sun
THE EU could drag their feet for weeks on trade talks despite Britain being ready to start immediately. Eurocrats at the bloc have confirmed it could take until March to draw up its own plans for what it wants. The European Commission today revealed it would not even consider its own proposals until Britain was out. Any delay at all will come as a huge blow to Boris Johnson, who has vowed to deliver a bumper trade deal by the end of the year.

Sky News
The EU has revealed it might not be ready to start negotiating a free trade deal with Britain until March. Eric Mamer, chief spokesman for the European Commission, made the comments at a media briefing in Brussels. It raises further doubts about the prospects of the two sides coming to an agreement before the end of the Brexit transition period in December. Mr Mamer, when asked about the time frame for starting negotiations once Britain has left the bloc at the end of this month, said: “The commission can adopt its proposal for the negotiation directives only once the UK has actually withdrawn from the EU.

Mail
Boris Johnson is preparing to kickstart trade talks with both the US and EU within weeks of Brexit, it emerged last night. The Prime Minister will set out his vision for the country’s future in a major speech at the start of next month. He is also expected to publish a detailed set of position papers outlining the Government’s priorities for post-Brexit trade. Whitehall officials are gearing up for simultaneous negotiations with the EU Commission and the US after January 31.

Independent
Boris Johnson was accused of leaving the UK “staring down the barrel of a no-deal Brexit” after Brussels indicated that it may not be able to begin talks on future trade arrangements until March. The comments came as Downing Street attempts to pile pressure on the EU for swift progress in talks, with just 11 months to complete complex negotiations before Mr Johnson’s self-imposed deadline of December 2020. The prime minister’s official spokesperson told reporters that the UK would be in a position to begin negotiations on 1 February – the day after Brexit – and pointedly noted that talks could begin with the US first if the EU was not ready.

Times
Boris Johnson will try to maximise his leverage in trade talks with the United States and the European Union by publishing plans for both sets of negotiations at about the same time early next month. The prime minister will lay out Britain’s objectives in the weeks after it leaves the EU on January 31, Downing Street said yesterday. A speech will be accompanied by a series of documents setting out the formal negotiating mandate for talks with both Brussels and Washington.

Brexit

Sun
WETHERSPOON is slashing the price of 12 drinks, including certain beers and vodkas, from January 31 to mark Brexit taking place the same day. Its so-called “Let’s stay friends” offer will cut around 60p off certain drinks which originate in European countries, as well as from across the UK. Customers will see the discounted prices in all of the company’s 870 pubs across Britain, but sadly it’s not a permanent price cut as the promotion will end on February 29.

Evening Standard
The UK Government said it respects “the spirit and the letter of the devolution settlement” as it presses ahead with Brexit  without consent from the devolved administrations. In letters sent to Scottish and Welsh ministers addressing their refusal to give legislative consent to Boris Johnson’s deal, Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay said he recognised the “significant role” played by the legislative consent process. He said the circumstances of the UK’s departure from the EU are “specific, singular and exceptional” despite the Sewel Convention which says the UK Government should “not normally” press ahead without consent from devolved administrations.

HoL

Independent
Boris Johnson has suffered three consecutive defeats in the House of Lords in a matter of hours, with the latest over plans to allow British judges at lower courts to overturn European Court of Justice rulings after Brexit. It comes after concerns were aired over the prime minister’s plan to rip up Theresa May’s previous commitment to transfer all EU law onto the domestic statue book, which meant it could only be overturned by the Supreme Court, or the High Court of Justiciary in Scotland. Instead, Mr Johnson added a new clause into the Withdrawal Agreement Bill following his decisive general election victory, to allow ministers the power to direct the courts on interpretation of EU law and to allow lower courts the power to overturn rulings of the ECJ.

Express
BORIS JOHNSON suffered his first three Parliamentary defeats since the general election after the House of Lords voted to demand changes to the Prime Minister’s Brexit bill. Mr Johnson was defeated in Parliament’s second chamber as peers backed amendments to the Government’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill. In a close vote, the Lords demanded the EU citizens be given physical documentation of their right to live in the UK post-Brexit. Peers voted for the amendment by 270 votes to 229 – a majority of 41.

Independent
Peers handed Boris Johnson his first parliamentary defeat since the election by voting for EU citizens to be given physical proof of their right to stay in the UK after Brexit, to prevent “another Windrush”. The House of Lords rejected ministers’ pleas that the move would amount to “ID card creep” – insisting it was necessary to guard against discrimination by employers, landlords and the state. The vote – likely to be followed by further defeats over child refugees and lower courts ripping up EU laws – sets the scene for a showdown when the withdrawal agreement bill returns to the Commons.

Guardian
Peers have openly scoffed at the idea of the House of Lords moving out of Westminster to York or another northern city, after the government confirmed it was looking at relocating the upper chamber. A string of Tory, Labour and crossbench peers expressed disbelief on Monday that such a proposal was being considered, with some arguing it was impractical and others making jokes about it. The idea was floated over the weekend and James Cleverly, the Tory party chairman, later confirmed the government was examining whether to move the House of Lords out of London to help parliament to better reflect the country’s diversity.

Express
ANGRY peers have lashed out at proposals to move the House of Lords to York with some complaining the idea shows “complete contempt for the constitution”. Boris Johnson has raised the possibility of permanently relocating the second chamber to the north of England and has told officials to get detailed work on the practicalities of such a move underway. Senior Tories have said moving the Lords out of London would form part of a bid to “reconnect” with voters.

Bercow

Telegraph
Downing Street has hinted it will block any attempt by Jeremy Corbyn to nominate John Bercow for a peerage unless he joins the Labour Party. The former Speaker has not so far been nominated by the Government, following a series of rows over his alleged attempts to thwart Brexit. Mr Corbyn has not denied reports that he is considering putting Mr Bercow’s name forward, but Number 10 stressed there was a “long-standing convention” that the Leader of the Opposition could only nominate members of their own party for peerages.

Times
Boris Johnson could block an attempt by Jeremy Corbyn to give the former Speaker John Bercow a peerage, Downing Street has hinted. The Labour leader is said to have included Mr Bercow among his list of nominees for peerages despite Mr Bercow not being a member of his party. Downing Street stressed that the “long-standing convention” was that the leader of the opposition would nominate only people representing their own party for a place in the Lords.

Labour leadership

Mail
Labour’s membership has grown by more than 100,000 since the party’s devastating general election loss, sparking hard-left fears that a moderate surge could scupper Rebecca Long-Bailey’s chances of victory.  Would-be members of the Labour Party have until 5pm today to join up if they want to be eligible to vote in the battle to replace Jeremy Corbyn.  The five remaining candidates in the race are now scrambling to persuade their supporters to sign up to boost their hopes of securing the top job.   But the initial numbers, revealed to the Huffington Post website by a party insider, are likely to make for grim reading for Ms Long-Bailey with many of the people joining thought to be moderates who left the party under Mr Corbyn’s leadership.

Telegraph
Jess Phillips was struggling to stay in the Labour leadership race on Monday night after the most likely union to back her opted to support Sir Keir Starmer instead. USDAW, the shopworkers’ union, said Sir Keir was “someone who can persuade voters that they have what it takes to be a prime minister”, and supported Angela Rayner as its deputy leadership candidate. The nomination leaves three of the big five Labour unions left to nominate a candidate, with Unite and the CWU expected to back Rebecca Long-Bailey and GMB expected to choose between Lisa Nandy and Sir Keir.

The economy

Mail
The British economy is set to outpace the eurozone in the first two years after Brexit, according to projections published today by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF suggested the euro area would see economic growth of 1.3 per cent in 2020 and 1.4 per cent in 2021.  But it suggested the UK economy could see economic growth of 1.4 per cent this year and 1.5 per cent next year.  However, the IMF’s prediction of stable economic growth for the UK is predicated on an orderly divorce from the European Union.

Telegraph
The UK economy will outpace the struggling eurozone in the first two years after Brexit, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted for the first time. Britain also outpaced the monetary union in 2019, giving it three straight years of faster growth, according to the IMF’s latest forecasts. The fund slashed growth across the eurozone, warning that a weaker German recovery and a slowdown in Spain will weigh on the region’s economy this year.

Social care

Times
The health watchdog has been forced to retract almost 40 inspection reports into care and nursing homes after finding that parts of them had been faked. The Care Quality Commission  (CQC) found during an audit that there was “duplicate material” in 78 reports, with identical quotations from patients or sections of evidence pasted into reports on different institutions. All of the homes were in the north of England except for one in London. In 40 cases, the CQC removed the offending material but was confident that the overall findings of the report were unaffected, allowing the grades of outstanding, good, requires improvement or inadequate to stand.

Gibraltar

BBC News
The UK government says Gibraltar cannot independently negotiate a passport-free travel deal with the EU after Brexit. On Friday, Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo said joining the EU’s Schengen zone could be advantageous for the tiny UK territory. All but six EU member states are in Schengen, enabling citizens to travel passport-free across borders in the EU. A UK government spokesperson said Gibraltar’s arrangements would be part of UK-EU talks on future relations.

Express
SPAIN should not miss the “golden opportunity” of Brexit to grab Gibraltar from Britain, a Spanish MEP has said, with just 11 days to go until the UK leaves the EU. Jose Garcia-Margallo said  Spain could not afford to let the “historic” moment pass by without launching a bid to bring the British Overseas Territory under Spanish rule. The 75-year-old former Minister of Foreign Affairs called for money to be pumped into Campo de Gibraltar, the southern county which shares a 0.75 mile border with the Rock.

HS2

Telegraph
Boris Johnson is facing increased pressure to pull the plug on HS2, after a leaked version of Doug Oakervee’s report suggested costs could spiral to £106 billion.  Former Brexit Secretary David Davis said that the “white elephant” project “must be scrapped” in order to invest in other regional infrastructure. The Prime Minister is faced with competing warnings that cancelling the high-speed line would lead to “second-class” railways in the North. An inquiry led by former HS2 chairman Doug Oakervee reportedly found there is “considerable risk” that the high-speed rail project’s cost will rise by up to 20 per cent beyond the £81 billion to £88 billion range set out in a report by current HS2 chairman Allan Cook just four months ago.

Independent
Network Rail has rubbished suggestions that the HS2 high-speed rail link could be replaced with upgrades to existing lines, warning that passengers would face “absurd” levels of disruption from such an approach. The intervention by the rail infrastructure manager comes amid reports that Boris Johnson’s government is looking at ditching parts of the line and replacing it with upgrades – under pressure from anti-HS2 campaigners.

BBC News
The transport secretary has asked for more data before making a “massive decision” on HS2 as it emerged the new high-speed rail link could cost £106bn. A leaked report suggested the project could cost almost double from the £56bn expected in 2015. Grant Shapps said he has demanded more information about the scheme as the government prepares to decide whether to go ahead with the project. Downing Street refused to comment on the contents of the leaked report.

Times
The future of HS2 is in doubt with both the chancellor and the transport secretary said to be “lukewarm” on the project after a leaked government review found that the project’s cost could rise to £106 billion. The latest draft of the report commissioned by Boris Johnson last summer said that the price of building the high-speed line could rise by a fifth compared with the existing £88 billion estimate. An inquiry into the project, led by Doug Oakervee, the former HS2 Ltd chairman, is believed to have recommended that the second leg of the line north of Birmingham should be paused for six months to further investigate its value for money.

Cancer

Telegraph
A new type of immune cell which kills most cancers has been discovered by accident by British scientists, in a finding which could herald a major breakthrough in treatment. Researchers at Cardiff University were analysing blood from a bank in Wales, looking for immune cells that could fight bacteria, when they found an entirely new type of T-cell. That new immune cell carries a never-before-seen receptor which acts like a grappling hook, latching on to most human cancers, while ignoring healthy cells.

Times
Cervical cancer can be eliminated in this country thanks to advances in screening and vaccination, the NHS has declared. It is the first time the health service has said that a form of cancer can be beaten to the extent that cases become extremely rare. Public health officials described the announcement as “truly momentous”. A more sensitive and reliable form of cervical cancer screening has already been introduced for all women who undergo smear tests in England.

Virus

Sun
A TERRIFYING new virus that has infected hundreds can spread between humans, China has confirmed. Coronavirus, which causes fever and difficulty breathing, has hit the Chinese capital Beijing after spreading like wildfire across the country. The bug has infected at least 217 people across China and has reached beyond its borders, with four new cases in Japan, Thailand and South Korea. And experts have now confirmed the deadly virus can move between humans.

Times
A respiratory virus that has killed three people and spread to four Asian countries can be passed between humans, China has warned after the number of cases tripled. President Xi broke his silence on the outbreak to urge the authorities to control the pneumonia-like disease as hundreds of millions of Chinese prepared to travel for the lunar new year holiday. He said that officials should “release outbreak information in a timely manner and deepen international co-operation” amid fears that they were playing down the gravity of the outbreak.

Star
The World Health Organisation has announced an emergency meeting into whether a new Sars-like coronavirus constitutes international health emergency. The meeting with be held in Geneva on Wednesday, WHO said. It comes after the Chinese Government confirmed the virus is now spreading between humans. The crisis meeting follows the virus spreading from Wuhan district, where it has infected nearly 200 people, to more Chinese cities, including the capital Beijing and Shanghai.

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