Trade deal
Telegraph
MPs have been primed to vote for a possible Brexit trade deal at the beginning of next week as hopes rise of a breakthrough in Brussels. Senior Government sources have confirmed that Boris Johnson is preparing to push back the Christmas recess should he secure an agreement with the EU by the weekend. The Telegraph has been told that plans being studied by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Commons leader, involve MPs and peers being asked to sit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday if there is a deal, with December 24 still under discussion. Ministers have ruled out sitting on Christmas Day for the first time since 1656, but have not ruled out asking MPs to return on Boxing Day, if it is deemed necessary to do so. Government whips also indicated to a number of Tory MPs that they could be required next week, leading to fevered speculation that a deal was imminent.
Mail
MPs have been warned they may have to work on Christmas Eve, raising hopes of a last-minute Brexit deal with Brussels. Boris Johnson is reportedly preparing to push back the Christmas recess of Parliament if he can secure a late break-through with EU negotiators. Under plans being inspected by leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, MPs and Peers will be asked to sit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday if a deal is reached by the weekend, the Telegraph reports. Using Christmas Eve and Boxing Day as sitting days could also be on the table, the paper adds.
Yahoo News
MPs have been primed to vote for a possible Brexit trade deal at the beginning of next week as hopes rise of a breakthrough in Brussels. Senior Government sources have confirmed that Boris Johnson is preparing to push back the Christmas recess should he secure an agreement with the EU by the weekend. The Telegraph has been told that plans being studied by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Commons leader, involve MPs and peers being asked to sit on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday if there is a deal, with December 24 still under discussion. Ministers have ruled out sitting on Christmas Day for the first time since 1656, but have not ruled out asking MPs to return on Boxing Day, if it is deemed necessary to do so..
EU
Express
ITALY’S Prime Minister has said he will not accept a trade deal with the UK “without level playing field conditions”. Giuseppe Conte said the leaders of the bloc’s 27 member states remain united in their stance to secure a strong deal with Britain. But he said Brussels would not sign any agreement which does not include common rules and standards designed to prevent business on either side undercutting firms. Mr Conte said: “The negotiations with the UK concern us much. “But EU member states are united, strong, and supportive. “We cannot accept a deal not based on certain rules or without level playing field conditions”. The so-called “level playing field” is aimed at ensuring neither side can unfairly compete with the other on environmental standards, workers’ rights or state subsidies.
Telegraph
To understand why the level playing field battle is so elemental in Brexit talks, you also have to understand how far Europe’s demands for a ratchet clause go beyond any normal trade practice. Lightning sanctions to punish divergence are entirely alien to the ecosystem of free trade agreements (FTAs) under international law. Ursula von der Leyen stated last week that Europe would restrict access to the single market if the UK declined to follow when the EU “raised its level of ambition”. This is extraordinary. The EU wants a licence to act as prosecutor and judge over what constitutes “unfair competition”, able to slap on sanctions whenever Britain passed a new law or failed to replicate a fresh EU law.
Express
THE European Parliament has signed off on the EU’s final preparations for a no-deal Brexit as the trade talks with Britain falter. MEPs voted overwhelmingly to support the plans drawn up by eurocrats after a recent call between Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Boris Johnson. Last week the European Commission set out contingency measures under which British airlines may be banned from flying to European destinations if the UK refuses to follow the bloc’s demands for a “level playing field”. The EU would insist Britain continue to follow Brussels’ competition rules as the price for allowing planes to fly or British lorries to continue operating across the bloc for six months.
Fisheries
Express
BREXIT success hangs in the balance regarding talks with the EU this week, but fishing has proved to be a major sticking point now, outrageous letters unearthed by Express.co.uk show Belgian trawlers have gone as far as to fish off Brighton pier. With just two weeks to go until the end of the transition period, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are locked in crunch talks over the future of the EU-UK trading relationship. While Mr Johnson has ceded ground on the key issue of regulatory divergence, neither side is relenting on the issue of fisheries. The UK Government is determined that Britain should take back control of its waters and enter into an annual negotiation with the EU over access, as is the case with Norway.
Guardian
Downing Street has watered down a key demand over post-Brexit fishing rights as part of a broader compromise, EU sources said as Germany’s ambassador in Brussels said there was a chance of a deal by the weekend. The UK dropped a push for fishing vessels operating under the UK flag to be majority British-owned in the future, it was claimed. It came as Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons who is responsible for its timetable, suggested it was “theoretically possible” that MPs could be asked to approve a trade deal retrospectively. “I haven’t heard anyone talk about ratification post-31 December,” he told a ConservativeHome podcast.
Express
BORIS JOHNSON has faced kickback over his threat to deploy Royal Navy warships to patrol UK waters in the event of no deal but documents unearthed by Express.co.uk reveal France actually sent a gunboat to a UK port over a fishing dispute. Brexit trade talks have stalled this week over the issue of fisheries, with the EU digging their heels in on their demand for access to UK waters after the end of the transition period. With the deadline fast approaching, the Ministry of Defence confirmed four 80-metre armed vessels had been placed on standby to guard British waters from EU trawlers on January 1 if no agreement on fishing rights was reached.
Breitbart
A French fisheries chief has threatened to blockade British goods at European ports if continental fishermen are no longer allowed to plunder Britain’s lucrative fishing waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit on January 1st. The UK is set to leave the EU’s institutions at the end of the transition period on December 31st, 2020. While the UK has said she would regain full control of her territorial waters after Brexit, negotiating short-term licences for fishing rights to EU countries, Brussels has demanded continued access similar to the current Common Fisheries Policy. The bloc is holding up agreeing on a post-Brexit deal on key issues including permanent fishing allocations, but if there is no deal by the end of the year, all territorial waters revert automatically to British control, regardless.
Express
BREXIT talks have been hampered by a conflict over fisheries, with both sides digging their heels in but maritime disputes have got so heated in the past that one French fisherman threatened to hang a British naval officer, documents unearthed by Express.co.uk can reveal. This week, the EU and UK are pushing to secure an agreement on their future trading relationship before the end of the transition period at the end of the calendar year. A deadline for talks was initially set for Sunday, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to an extension after a “constructive” phone call.
Christmas
Mail
Christmas gatherings were again given the go-ahead last night despite warnings they could ‘cost many lives’. Government sources said up to three households will still be able to get together under a five-day easing of coronavirus restrictions. But there will be ‘tough’ warnings to think twice before celebrating Christmas with elderly or vulnerable relatives. Families will also be advised to ‘stay local’ amid fears of giant traffic jams and packed ‘Covid carriages’ on trains. However the UK-wide policy approach was at risk last night with Nicola Sturgeon considering different rules for Scotland.
Guardian
Christmas plans for millions of families were in the balance last night as ministers and devolved leaders held talks on curtailing freedoms over the festive period amid warnings that the NHS would be overwhelmed. Boris Johnson is likely to face down calls to change course, though the government may issue new advice urging extreme caution. A government source said it was possible the four nations may diverge after no agreement was reached at a crisis meeting with devolved administrations on Tuesday chaired by Michael Gove.
ITV News
Boris Johnson is resisting growing pressure to scrap the easing of coronavirus restrictions over Christmas amid warnings the move could overwhelm the NHS and contribute to the loss of “many lives”. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove will resume crisis talks over the plans for up to three households to mix between December 23 and 27 with leaders of the devolved administrations on Wednesday morning. A UK government source told ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston that the four UK nations may take differing approaches, but that it is unlikely there will be any changes to the law for the festive freedoms in England.
Sky News
Boris Johnson is resisting demands to “cancel Christmas”, claiming it is too late to change plans to allow families to meet up during a five-day relaxation of COVID rules. He will face MPs in the Commons and later address Tory backbenchers and declare his opposition to dropping plans for three households to meet up from 23 to 27 December. But the prime minister is expected to urge people to self-isolate before joining up with other households and the government is poised to issue tougher guidance for the festive period. Besides isolating before meeting up, the new guidance is expected to include a plea to stay local where possible and think carefully before meeting elderly and clinically vulnerable people.
Times
Boris Johnson has ruled out scrapping Christmas Covid freedoms in England but will urge people to reconsider plans to visit elderly relatives. Despite mounting warnings that a five-day easing of social distancing will cause a third wave of infections when the health service is at its most vulnerable, the prime minister’s allies said that he was determined to maintain the relaxations. The government will issue new guidance on Christmas in the coming days and is understood to be producing an advertising campaign aimed at discouraging people from seeing relatives unless necessary.
Telegraph
Boris Johnson is determined to push ahead with plans to allow families to meet this Christmas, but will urge people to self-isolate before joining up with other households, The Telegraph understands. The Government is expected to issue stronger guidance about what people can do over the festive period in the coming days, but stop short of changing the rules which say three households can meet for five days from December 23 to 27. It is understood that No 10 was concerned that if Christmas plans were cancelled, it could lead to lower compliance with the rules in January and later in the winter.
Mail
THE MET OFFICE has issued a weather forecast update for Christmas Day as the UK braces for 10 inches of snow later this month. Bitterly cold air from the north Atlantic is expected to bring wintry conditions over the festive period. Christmas Day could see up to 6cm of snow in Central Scotland by 6pm, according to WXCHARTS’ snow depth models. The charts suggest snow could linger until the end of December, with 8 inches forecast for the same region on Thursday, December 31 at midday. Meanwhile, the snow depth models show western Scotland will see just under 10 inches (25cm) on this date.
Vaccine
Guardian
Vaccinating the population against Covid-19 will cost up to £12bn, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has disclosed, amid details of tensions between health bodies over the rollout. The National Audit Office said the government would spend up to £11.7bn on purchasing and manufacturing Covid-19 jabs for the UK before deploying them in England. A report released on Wednesday reveals officials from Public Health England complained that they had been cut out of key decisions despite having previous experience of vaccine delivery programmes.
iNews
The roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine to GP surgeries and hospital hubs has been dogged by technical failures and delays prompting medics to brand the delivery of the jab as a “complete joke”. GP practices that have received the Pfizer vaccine have been forced to record jabs with a pen and paper after the IT system used to upload details repeatedly crashed. Doctors using the Pinnacle IT system, owned by Emis, were met with an error message telling them there was an “infrastructure issue” that meant they were unable to record patients’ inoculations. Sources told i the glitch would go some way to explaining why the Government has not been able to publish figures on how many people have received the vaccination to date.
Mail
Vaccinating Britain will come at a cost of £12billion with the NHS needing 46,000 new staff – but half of us still won’t have received the jab by the end of 2021, a report has revealed. The National Audit Office, which monitors government spending, said the plans assumed that just 25million will receive jabs if enough become available. This would suffice for the priority groups – the over-50s, frontline health workers, those in care homes and people with underlying health conditions. But it would leave younger adults waiting until 2022. Its report also warned that the taxpayer could be liable to pay legal costs – on top of the £11.7bn cost of developing, buying and manufacturing the vaccine – should anything go wrong.
Sun
ONLY half of Brits in England are expected to be fully vaccinated against Covid next year, it has been revealed. Health bosses reckon they can get the double jab into the arms of 25 million people over the next 12 months, the spending watchdog said. This would still leave 30 million people in England without being fully inoculated to the bug, the National Audit Office said. They also revealed that sports stadiums could be used as vaccination centres to get the miracle jab out quickly. Mobile testing sites and “roving units” will also be sent into Covid hotspots like care homes.
Express
HOSPITALS and GP surgeries have raised the alarm over a technical failure in the vaccine recording system that forced them to document patients’ information manually. The Pinnacle IT programme, owned by healthcare software provider Emis, crashed yesterday causing panic as doctors scrambled to save the information. A message appeared on computer screens in hubs across the country telling healthcare workers there was an “infrastructure issue”. Other issues highlighted by vaccine hubs included lack of training in the Pinnacle system.
Telegraph
The European Union is to bring forward its meeting to approve the coronavirus vaccine to next week amid public anger in Germany over the delay. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced the move on Tuesday as Angela Merkel’s government faced a growing backlash over its insistence on waiting for EU approval. A leading German economist warned the delay could cost thousands of lives, and the country’s highest-selling newspaper asked “Why the hell don’t we start vaccinating and saving lives?” A full week after vaccinations began in the UK, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is still waiting for approval in the country where it was developed, because Mrs Merkel’s government refuses to issue an urgent fast-track approval.
World War III
Express
CHINA is working to boost its nuclear arsenal to at least 350 missiles according to a new report sparking fresh fears about an outbreak of global conflict. Currently the US Department of Defence estimates Beijing possesses a little over 200 nuclear weapons. However, according to new research from the Federation of American Scientists’ Nuclear Information Project they are looking to increase this substantially. Weapons in development include hypersonic missiles, capable of travelling at 18 times the speed of sound, which are designed to carry nuclear warheads.
Development
Mail
A controversial planning formula which MPs feared would have led to fields in southern England being concreted over has been scrapped after Tory MPs pressured ministers. Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt led a revolt against the algorithm, which worked out how many homes were needed in different parts of the country to meet a national target of 300,000 a year. Last night Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick announced the algorithm had been tweaked to ensure that more homes were built in urban areas and in the North. Conservative MPs had criticised the plan, saying that it targeted rural districts rather than the urban areas where new homes are desperately needed.
Breitbart
Proposals for controversial planning reforms in England have been revised, after new housing targets prompted a backlash amongst many Conservative MPs. A computer-based formula used to decide where houses should be located has been “updated” to focus more on cities and urban areas in the North and Midlands. Ministers said cash for brownfield sites would be distributed more fairly outside London and the South East. Some MPs in southern areas said their areas risked being “concreted over”. The government wants to build 300,000 new homes across England each year by the mid-2020s. In August, it proposed a new formula designed to provide a rough estimate to local councils on how many properties needed to be built in their communities.
Times
Robert Jenrick will today abandon an algorithm that would have dramatically increased housebuilding in the Conservatives’ southern heartlands. England’s 20 biggest cities will instead take a larger share of new homes under revised plans drawn up by the housing secretary after a backlash from Conservative MPs including Theresa May. Boris Johnson announced in the summer that each local authority in England was to be given a revised target for the number of new homes to be built and told to designate land for preservation or development.
Dumping the Conservatives in spectacular fashion is the only way to sort them out in the May 2021 local elections. Nothing more than they deserve. Vote Reform UK……….
So, the Brexit deal (if any) is to be rushed through parliament without time for proper scrutiny? Do I smell a rat?
Hmmm . . . Well MP’s and Peers working over Xmas. But aren’t they working from home anyway?
I thought Rees Mogg was a Brexiteer.
What the hell is going on.
Is someone banking on our politicians supping so much Xmas Cheer they’ll defy the whip or is it vice versa they’ll be lobby fodder as usual.
Trade Deal:
Looks like Boris is going to cave in over the holiday period hoping we will not notice or be unable to demonstrate when otherwise occupied.
Vaccine:
I would strongly recommend reading a couple of books before accepting any vaccine:
“An Old Man in a Chair” by Dr. Vernon Coleman.
“Plague of Corruption” by Dr. Judy Mikovits and Kent Heckenlively.
Drug companies have paid out billions in compensation to those adversely affected by vaccines but still make enormous profits. They are not our friends and are not to be trusted (much like most politicians…).
Oh, WE’LL notice Jack!
Jack, sometimes Petitions do have an effect. I’ve just read hansard reporting on a debate held as a result of the petition to not make Covid vaccination mandatory or for coercive measures to be introduced.
Our Covid Dictatorship have been forced to accept that such policies will not be adopted.
The other way to make it effectively mandatory is to impose travel restrictions on those who have not been vaccinated. Already there is talk of a “Covid Passport”.
That was covered in the debate and agreed it would not happen here in the UK. Obviously what other countries do is another matter.
Airlines perhaps would impose restrictions and of course there are travel and health insurance companies in the mix but at least Westminster seems to have got the message. No Covid Passport.