Brexit

Express
BORIS Johnson’s chief negotiator could be on the verge of a Brexit breakthrough as Brussels suggests there is room for a possible compromise. European Union officials believe talks over a free-trade deal could be unlocked if David Frost is able to present Britain’s future plans for its state aid regime. Michel Barnier is understood to be ready to soften his demands for the UK to maintain the bloc’s laws governing tax breaks and state subsidies as part of the so-called “level-playing field”. The Frenchman had been ordered by member states to force Britain to align to Brussels’ anti-competition regime. But European sources have claimed establishing a “common approach” between both sides for state aid policies could allow Boris Johnson complete control over Britain’s system.

Brexit-Watch
DEFENCE has been a major topic of concern for Brexiteers since 2016 and the problem still has not gone away even during the future relationship talks.  Now, in August 2020, there are still many unanswered questions. These three are the most important:  Are ministers unwittingly signing us up to an EU defence deal with a hidden legal ‘trap’?  Do ministers know that EU defence powers have expanded since 2016, including over non-EU involvement? Do they know staying attached brings a growing set of obligations to accept EU decision-making? At times it seems that Westminster is not interested in asking these simple questions. There is very little discussion, but when it does take place it is led by statements from pro-EU and EU-funded think tanks and politicians and their words are a poorly-informed PR exercise. Attachment to EU political-military mechanisms is mis-sold as ‘ad hoc cooperation’, ‘whenever we choose’ – when no such option exists.

Trade deal

Express
THE European Union is relying on a desperate last dash from the UK in crunch Brexit talks to secure a lucrative trade deal as negotiations enter a critical period, an official close to the negotiations has claimed. The latest round of talks resume in Brussels this week, with both sides remaining confident a free trade agreement (FTA) can be struck over the coming weeks. Both sides have repeatedly lashed out at each other over the lack of progress made, warning time is running out to get a deal over the line in time for it to be ratified by the European Parliament by the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31 UK and EU negotiators are refusing to give ground on several red lines – including fishing access, the level playing field, state aid and the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).

Evening Standard
A post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the European Union must made by October “at the latest”, the EU has warned. A spokesman for the EU Commission said that while the EU wants an “ambitious and fair partnership with the UK”, a deal must be achieved by the end of October in order for it to be ratified in time. On Monday a Downing Street spokesman said the Government is confident a deal will be made in September.  The comments came before negotiations between the UK and the EU are set to resume on Tuesday evening until Friday. Speaking about the EU’s hope that a deal can be achieved, an EU Commission spokesman said: “The important thing to note – and I would point you first of all back to what Michel Barnier himself said in London at the end of the last round of negotiations – that, first of all, we want a deal, we want to have an ambitious and fair partnership with the UK, and that we must come to an agreement in October at the latest.”

Times
Progress on a Brexit deal is being threatened by Brussels’s refusal to grant British truckers wide-ranging access to the EU, as formal talks resume today. Negotiators are expected to clash on the future of the haulage industry after it was reported that the European Commission rejected a British request for trucking access as “fundamentally unbalanced”. Britain wants truckers to be able to continue picking up and dropping off goods inside and between EU countries. It also wants transit rights for drivers crossing to places such as Turkey. In return it has offered the right for EU trucks to travel to Ireland via the UK.

EU

Express
EMMANUEL MACRON could face serious pressure to hold a Frexit referendum similar to that of the UK according to a French eurosceptic campaigner. Charles-Henri Gallois, the President of eurosceptic group Generation Frexit, insisted the French should follow the lead of the UK in leaving the European Union. While speaking to Former Brexit Party MEP Michael Heaver on Westmonster, Mr Gallois praised Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party for their role in ensuring Brexit in the UK. He claimed France should employ the same strategy of putting pressure on Emmanuel Macron and his party to have a referendum on EU membership.

World trade

Telegraph
Australian politicians are calling for freedom of movement to be incorporated within any post-Brexit trade deal, hailing it as an opportunity to “create a powerful force for free trade and liberal values”. Senator James Paterson, of the governing Liberal Party, said an agreement should include “generous provisions” for Britons and Australians to live and work in both countries. In a report for the Adam Smith Institute think tank, Mr Paterson wrote that the two nations are “bound by deep historical and institutional ties” dating back to Sir Arthur Phillip’s arrival in Botany Bay in 1788. Short of total freedom of movement, Mr Paterson argued that relaxed visa provisions should be put in place to allow citizens of both countries to easily obtain visas when they have job offers.

House of Lords

Express
BORIS JOHNSON has been warned he faces triggering a destructive “cash-for-honours” scandal in the House of Lords with trust in the UK among voters having already hit “rock bottom”. The Prime Minister is reportedly pushing ahead with a “donors list”, providing those who have previously funded the Conservative Party with “votes on our laws for life” in the upper chamber. Downing Street sources have revealed donors – including those that have already been rejected by the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HoLAC) – will be handed seats in the Lords in the coming months.

Covid

Telegraph
There is growing evidence that seasonal factors could influence the evolution of the current Covid‐19 pandemic, with experts predicting human-to-human transmission of the virus will become more widespread in winter. The science comes from climatic, behavioural, medical and historic sources and, unfortunately, most point to the same conclusion: we face a long hard winter ahead. The latest study, published on Tuesday in Transboundary and Emerging Diseases journal, found an association between low relative humidity and an increase in community transmission of Sars-CoV-2 in the Greater Sydney area during the early stages of the pandemic.

Metro
The coronavirus pandemic has kept the world in its grip in 2020, with almost 22m people across the globe having tested positive for Covid-19 since the first reports of it emerged in China. And fears of a second wave of the virus have been sparked with a resurgence in cases in such countries as Spain and France, with both countries removed from the Government’s safe list, meaning travellers arriving in the UK from both now have to quarantine for 14 days. There have also been concerns that the virus could have mutated over the months, potentially becoming even more infectious and deadly – although others have suggested that a mutation could lead to Covid actually becoming weaker. Is coronavirus actually weakening though?

Asians

Mail
Asian people are up to five times more likely to catch the coronavirus than white people, according to data from a government-run surveillance scheme. An Office for National Statistics (ONS) report released today revealed seven out of 1,510 Brits identifying as Asian swabbed positive for Covid-19 — a rate of around 0.46 per cent. For comparison, the rate was 0.12 per cent for white people. The ONS concluded the risk was slightly higher than the percentage difference and that Asians were 4.8 times more likely to test positive. No cases were diagnosed in any other ethnic groups in England between June 8 and August 2, which is when the data relates to. But the body claimed black Britons were twice as likely to be diagnosed, based on older figures.

Testing

Telegraph
Testing travellers for coronavirus is set to replace the imposition of blanket quarantines under plans to be discussed by Cabinet ministers next week, with the news coming as Heathrow unveiled a purpose-built testing centre. Ministers are due to meet on Monday to consider options including testing passengers between five and 10 days after their arrival to enable them to shorten their 14-day self-isolation if the results are negative. On Tuesday, Heathrow announced that an airside Covid-19 testing centre in Terminal Two was ready to swab its first passengers, for £150 a time, once the Government gives the green light to a trial. It plans a second centre in Terminal Five next month.

Mirror
Travel industry experts have called for a £50 coronavirus test at airports in a bid to allow more Britons to go on holiday abroad. Families on breaks in traditionally popular hotspots such as France, Spain and Portugal must quarantine for two weeks when they get back after the destinations were removed from the UK’s travel corridor list to curb the spread of Covid-19. Facing a fortnight of Government-ordered self-isolation, millions of cautious Brits desperate for a getaway have opted for a UK break instead – sparking a spike in staycations.

Quarantine

Sun
BRITS trying to return to the UK from Europe can avoid the quarantine if travelling through France by using the Eurotunnel. The UK introduced a mandatory quarantine for anyone returning to the country from France on August 15, resulting in travel chaos as hundreds of thousands of Brits tried to get back before it was in place. Anyone in France, returning via plane, ferry or Eurostar, will be forced to self-isolate for two weeks due to the current coronavirus situation in the country.

Herd immunity

Mail
Herd immunity against Covid-19 could be closer than scientists first thought and as little as 10 per cent of people may need to be infected for the virus to fizzle out, experts say. It means pockets of London and New York and countries like India may already be immune to the life-threatening disease, should a second wave hit.  Cases may not rise so drastically as they did during the first peak of the pandemic earlier this year because the disease has run out of room to spread, or the disease may be less severe if immunity is short-lived, scientists believe. Previously it’s been speculated 60 to 70 per cent of the population would need to suffer Covid-19 or be vaccinated to gain ‘herd immunity’ status.

Local lockdown

Sun
FEARS are growing that Swindon could be the next town to be hit with lockdown — as it has the highest covid rates in the south of England. Ministers are worried after 43 people tested positive in the Wiltshire town last week. And they fear the surge in cases will require North West style special measures. Public Health England’s latest data has Swindon as the 5th highest infection rate with 48.2 cases per 100,000 and list the area as one of concern. That is the highest in the south of England however the local council insist that the outbreak is under control, and that enforcement of lockdown measures would be a “last resort”.

Mail
Leicester will be brought partially out of its coronavirus local lockdown, with nail bars, outdoor pools, and beauty salons all allowed to reopen from tomorrow. Health Secretary Matt Hancock today announced the rules would be relaxed after a drop in Covid-19 cases in the city, although gatherings in homes are still banned. Also allowed to reopen in Leicester from tomorrow will be tanning booths, massage parlours, spas, tattoo parlours and body and skin piercing services. Outdoor music venues and theatres are already legally allowed to reopen in the city, but will now also be removed from guidance that recommended they stay closed.

Guardian
Nail bars, outdoor pools, and beauty salons can reopen in Leicester from Wednesday, but restrictions on gatherings in private homes and gardens will remain in place, Matt Hancock has said. “My gratitude goes out to the people of Leicester who have all made sacrifices to keep the virus at bay and protect their local communities,” the health and social care secretary said. “The rate of infection has now dropped to a safe enough level to allow further businesses including beauty salons, nail bars and some outdoor venues to reopen in the area. Current restrictions on gatherings must remain in place to further bring down the rate of infection.” The east Midlands city was the first area in the UK to be placed under local lockdown, on 30 June, after its infection rate rose to 135 cases per 100,000 people. This fell to 60 cases per 100,000 in the week beginning 7 August.

Deaths

Sun
FLU has killed more people in the UK than coronavirus for eight weeks in a row, new figures show. Almost seven times as many people are now dying of influenza or pneumonia than Covid-19, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics. In the eight weeks up to August 7, the latest date for which figures are available, 3,144 people died of coronavirus – but 7,639 died of flu or pneumonia. Eight weeks ago, a total of 1,002 died of influenza up to June 19 – compared with 783 Covid-19 deaths. The gap has widened each week since and the latest figures show flu killed 1,013 people in the week up to August 7 – almost seven times as many as the 152 who lost their lives to coronavirus.

Westmonster
New data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that deaths have been below the five-year average for the eighth week in a row in England and Wales. The week ending 7th August saw 8,945 deaths registered, 1.7% below the five-year average. The number of deaths in care homes, hospitals and other communal establishments remained below the five-year average but the number of deaths in private homes continued to be higher than average.

Education

Times
Thousands of students will be forced to defer their university courses for a year after the government’s retreat on A-level results, despite institutions offering an unprecedented expansion of places. Vice-chancellors told The Times that they would honour pupils’ offers but could not guarantee that they would be able to take them up this year. Some universities are adding 500 extra places each after the government lifted the cap. But dozens of others are forcing their glut of students to take an unwanted gap year and start their degree after next summer.

Independent
GCSE students and their teachers sat through a day of confusion on Tuesday about when they would get their final grades, following a series of contradictory announcements by the government. Education secretary Gavin Williamson was accused of “repeated incompetence” after his department said schools and college students would receive their teacher-predicted grades on Thursday, but also that “official results will be released to students next week”. The secretary of state himself confused matters further by going on breakfast television and telling students they would, in fact, receive their highest grades on Thursday and then only official “certification” next week – a crucial difference for pupils worried about college and apprenticeship placements.

Times
GCSE results tomorrow will be higher in every subject than last year, analysis of school-assessed grades suggests. It will create a headache for selective sixth forms and colleges and grammar schools, which usually take only the highest GCSE performers. FFT Education Datalab conducted research in June which analysed the grades submitted by teachers to exam boards this year and compared them with last year’s published results. It found that this year’s teacher-assessed grades were, on average, higher in each subject. In most subjects, the difference was between 0.3 and 0.6 grades.

Ofqual

Telegraph
The official in charge of Ofqual is under threat of the sack after a senior MP described the quango as “bloody useless” in the wake of the A-level grades fiasco. Sally Collier, Ofqual’s chief regulator and chief executive, has not spoken publicly since the humiliating U-turn in which its algorithm was ditched in favour of teachers’ grades. Ofqual’s chairman, Roger Taylor – whose job is also now in doubt – was wheeled out to make the announcement on Monday while Ms Collier, a lifelong civil servant who earns £200,000 a year, has remained silent.

Environment

Reuters
Britain said it would bring in legally binding targets on air quality, waste reduction, biodiversity and cleaner water as part of efforts to combat climate change, improve the environment and rebuild the economy. The targets will form part of the environment bill, introduced last year and set to resume its passage through parliament soon, which will force the current and future governments to focus on environmental improvements. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised to “build back greener” as the country tries to recover from the coronavirus pandemic which caused its economy to shrink by a fifth in the second quarter.

Winter Olympics

Sun
MINISTERS may boycott Beijing’s 2022 Winter Olympics as diplomatic relations with China head for a freeze.  Rows over Covid-19, Hong Kong and Huawei may see royals and the Government snub the event. The stance would mirror that at the World Cup in Russia 2018 two months after the Novichok gas attack in Salisbury.  A senior minister said: “Awkward conversations are having to be had about it.” On Tuesday night a government source insisted that no decision had yet been made.

Driving

Telegraph
Drivers could be allowed to take their hands off the wheel to send a text or watch a film by next spring under proposals for self-driving technology being considered by ministers. The Department for Transport is looking at plans to permit advanced lane-keeping systems in cars that would allow hands-free driving on UK roads for the first time. One of the proposals under consideration is for driving regulations to be amended to allow drivers to watch films as well as send and read phone messages on their vehicle’s infotainment systems while the automated system is on. If given the green light, the move would allow drivers to legally send electronic communications from behind the wheel, something which is currently banned.

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