Brexit

Looks like we can start blaming the EU for Brexit, says the Express.

ANGELA MERKEL and Emmanuel Macron refused Boris Johnson’s request to hold Brexit talks directly three times over the past week according to reports.
The German Chancellor and French President are insisting EU trade negotiations can only take place via Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. Mr Johnson has warned a no deal outcome to the trade talks is now “very, very likely”.
Britain is currently in a Brexit transition period which lasts until the end of the year.

We’re getting closer to the end says the Telegraph.

Boris Johnson’s attempts to negotiate directly with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron have been rebuffed three times in a week, prompting him to warn a no-deal outcome to Brexit talks is now “very, very likely”.
EU sources disclosed Friday that the offer made by the Prime Minister this week to travel to Paris or Berlin had been snubbed by the French President and German Chancellor, despite the growing threat of a failure to strike a trade agreement.
A no-deal decision could come as early as Sunday, the new deadline set by Britain and the EU for a review of the progress of the negotiations.

And Brexiteers are furious with the bloc, says the Mail.

Tory Brexiteers responded with fury last night after it emerged Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron snubbed a request from Boris Johnson to talk on the phone about the state of post-Brexit trade talks.
Officials in Brussels said European leaders had rejected a proposal made by Mr Johnson to hold calls with his German and French counterparts on Monday.
Mr Johnson was apparently told that all negotiations have to continue to go through the European Commission.
The decision prompted anger among Conservative MPs who accused the EU of ‘contemptuous treatment’ and argued it showed Brussels does not view Britain as a ‘sovereign equal’.

Yahoo News goes back to the ‘punishment’ theory.

Ursula von der Leyen has dismissed Boris Johnson’s likening EU demands in Brexit trade talks to being forced to buy a new handbag on threat of “punishment”.
The prime minister said on Thursday night that the bloc’s proposed “level playing field” for regulations amounted to saying “if the EU decides to buy an expensive handbag then the UK has to buy an expensive handbag too”.
Under the plan, the UK and EU would have to keep their environmental and labour rights at similar levels, or one of the parties would be allowed to impose tariffs on the side lagging behind to protect them from being undercut.

The Express has another take on Ursula’s comments.

URSULA von der Leyen has offered Britain the chance to break free of Brussels after Boris Johnson accused the EU of wanting to “punish” the country for refusing to comply with the bloc’s rules.
The European Commission hinted at a possible compromise in the battle over the level-playing field for competition regulations. She said Britain would not need to be aligned with the EU’s standards in the future but a mechanism would be needed to address potential competitive advantages gained by either side. Mrs von der Leyen told reporters: “We have repeatedly made clear to our UK partners that the principles of fair competition is a precondition to privileged access to the EU market.

And a Tory peer explains in the Express that the EU is holding out a false hope.

BREXITEER Lord Moylan exposed a “false” hope that the EU expects the UK to come back begging for a new trade deal in 2021.
Conservative peer Lord Moylan claimed the EU has lulled itself into a false sense of security in Brexit talks. During an interview with Express.co.uk, Lord Moylan said the EU is not panicked about the lack of Brexit trade talk progress due to their expectations of the UK in 2021. He said that the EU believes the UK will come back begging to the EU in 2021 for a Brexit trade deal regardless of its conclusion in 2020.
Lord Moylan said: “The EU doesn’t seem to be very worried at this stage.
“The reason they are not worried is that they have persuaded themselves that if we leave without a deal Britain will be so crushed by the economic devastation they think we will be back within a month or two begging for a deal.

Fisheries

The Guardian claims its report on the protection of our fisheries is an exclusive.

Four Royal Navy patrol ships will be ready from 1 January to help the UK protect its fishing waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit, in a deployment evoking memories of the “cod wars” in the 1970s.
The 80-metre-long armed vessels would have the power to halt, inspect and impound all EU fishing boats operating within the UK’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which can extend 200 miles from shore.
Naval sources said the deployment had been long planned, but it comes after Conservative ministers quietly doubled the total fleet of patrol ships from four to eight, partly in case of a crisis caused by a no-deal Brexit. “We have done a lot of work to ensure we are ready for every eventuality,” one insider said.

Several of the other media have taken up the comments.  The Express says:

THE Ministry of Defence has said it will place an additional 14,000 military personnel on standby awaiting the end of the Brexit transition period – in a potential warning to Emmanuel Macron, who has been desperate for his fishermen to secure access to UK waters in trade negotiations.
December 31 marks the end of the Brexit transition period with a no deal outcome looking more and more likely. Negotiations remain gridlocked over fishing, governance and the level playing field.

ITV News says the boats are on standby.

Four Royal Navy boats are on standby to patrol UK fishing waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit – a sign of preparations for an agreement not being reached by Sunday’s deadline.
The 80-metre vessels would guard British waters from EU trawlers in the event that there is no new agreement on fishing rights after December 31 – when transitional arrangements end.
Fisheries remains one of the major a sticking point in negotiations.
The confirmation of the move by the Ministry of Defence comes as Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned on both sides of the Channel that a no-deal outcome looked more likely than an agreement in the trade negotiations.

The Sun calls them ‘gunships’.

ROYAL Navy gunships are being readied to guard the UK’s fishing waters in the event of a No Deal Brexit, say reports.
Four 80-metre vessels will be tasked with intercepting any EU fishing boats operating within our exclusive economic zone (EEZ), it’s claimed.
However, the Guardian reports even though the patrol ships are equipped with machine guns they are not expected to ever have to use them in anger.
Instead they would tackle any vessel feared to be breaking rules within the EEZ – which can extend 200 miles from shore – and then board them.
In the most extreme cases, an EU boat could be seized and then escorted to the nearest UK port, states the report.

And it’s all going to kick off on January 1, reports the Telegraph.

The Royal Navy is preparing to protect Britain’s fishing waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit by deploying four patrol ships, it emerged on Friday night.
The armed vessels, said to span 80 metres in length, are to be primed from January 1 to deter EU fishing boats from illegally entering the English Channel.
Ministers are also reported to be preparing legislation to strengthen the powers of the Royal Navy Police to allow them to board foreign vessels and arrest fishermen if required.

There’s going to be chaos in the Channel, claims the Express.

A NO DEAL Brexit is going to cause chaos for fishermen in France with one claiming fleets will now “be at war” over waters.
Fisheries has remained one of the most contentious issues throughout Brexit trade negotiations with the UK looking to take back its waters after decades in the much-hated Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The two sides will operate on WTO terms from January 1 if they cannot reach a Brexit deal. Due to this, French fishermen have now warned the industry in the country could be decimated if it loses crucial access to UK waters.
As a result of the CFP, EU fishermen have been able to access waters across the Exclusive Economic Zone which has led to the exploitation of Britain’s waters.

And the Times says our navy could arrest the French.

The Royal Navy Police will be given the power to arrest French and other EU fishermen who illegally enter Britain’s waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
The government is preparing legislation to extend the powers of the navy police so that they can board foreign vessels and arrest fishermen amid concerns about violent clashes in the Channel. The Royal Navy is also ready to deploy four patrol ships to stop and even impound EU fishing vessels if they illegally enter the Channel after a no-deal Brexit.
The 80-metre “River Class” vessels will be deployed after January 1 to police the exclusive economic zone, which extends up to 200 nautical miles from shore.

There was a meeting yesterday, reports the Mirror.

Four Royal Navy boats are on standby to patrol UK fishing waters in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
The 80-metre vessels would guard British waters from EU trawlers in the event that there is no new agreement on fishing rights after December 31 when transitional arrangements end.
The confirmation of the move by the Ministry of Defence comes as Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned on both sides of the Channel that a no-deal outcome looked more likely than an agreement in the trade negotiations.
On Friday afternoon Mr Johnson met with senior minister Michael Gove, whose has responsibility for Brexit planning, and other officials to “take stock” of Government plans for a no-deal exit.

The Mail outlines the boats’ armaments.

Four Royal Navy vessels will be dispatched to Britain’s territorial waters if a trade deal is not agreed with the EU.
Armed with cannon and machine guns, they will patrol the English Channel and Irish Sea to stop illegal fishing.
In a dramatic ratcheting-up of No Deal contingency planning, Wildcat and Merlin helicopters are also being placed on standby to help with coastal surveillance.
And military personnel have been seconded to the Joint Maritime Security Centre to help deal with any clashes in fishing grounds.
The naval ships could even be ordered to impound rogue French fishing vessels.

Vaccine

Any plans you had that life could get back to normal after you’ve been vaccinated are shattered in the Mail.

The Covid vaccine does not mean people can ‘go mad’ again any time soon, senior officials warned on Friday as the UK’s reproduction rate rose for the first time since October – but the latest death toll fell to 424.
Widespread coronavirus immunity is going to take some time despite the vaccine rollout, they said.
The current Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine requires two doses, taken 21 days apart, and then an extra week before full immunity is reached.

But in an exclusive report, the Guardian claims many GPs won’t be offering the vaccine.

More than 100,000 patients will not be able to get the Covid vaccine from their family doctor after their GP surgeries decided not to take part in its deployment, the Guardian can reveal.
Dozens of GP practices in England have chosen not to join the NHS’s coronavirus vaccination programme amid concerns their workloads are already too heavy, they have too few staff and that patients could suffer if practices have to cut back other services so doctors can administer the injections.
Their reluctance to inoculate patients threatens to overshadow the start of the second phase of the vaccine rollout, which is due to start next week, with GPs taking part for the first time.

Education

Meanwhile, schools that intend to close early for Christmas are being threatened by the government, reports the Telegraph.

Schools were threatened with legal action by Government ministers on Friday night amid growing fears that many will close early in an attempt to reduce the spread of Covid-19 among teenagers before Christmas.
At least one council has already told some of its schools that it would support them to move to online learning only for the last week of term, and secondary schools across London and the South East are expected to tell parents that they will be closing early for the holidays.
Headteachers whose schools do stay open also intend to turn a blind eye if parents choose to keep their children at home, The Telegraph understands.

The Mail reports that mass testing is coming to some schools.

Mass coronavirus testing is being rolled out in secondary schools in coronavirus hotspots in North East London, South Essex and Kent from today.
The launch comes after official data showed pupils aged 11 to 18 were fuelling the winter surge of infections in the capital and South East England.
The Department of Health said ‘hundreds of thousands’ of swabbing kits are being sent to the existing testing hubs, as well as 37 additional mobile units being set up.

London

With the prospect of England’s capital city heading for Tier 3, warnings about mass Christmas shopping have been issued, says the Mail.

Christmas shoppers were warned by Downing Street on Friday to be careful as London teetered on the brink of being moved into Tier 3 amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
The case rate per 100,000 people in the capital stood at 191.8 on December 6, up from 158.1 the previous week.
It means London is ahead of regions, such as the West Midlands, which are already in Tier 3 restrictions.
Teenagers have been blamed for the huge uptick in cases, prompting a mass testing programme to be rolled out in secondary schools in the worst-hit boroughs.

And Yahoo News points out that the number of infections is rising in London, against the national trend.

Coronavirus infections have decreased across England as a whole, but increased in London, according to new data that raises questions about the efficacy of the lockdown in the capital.
Between 29 November and 5 December there were 481,500 people in England with coronavirus on average, equating to one in every 115 people, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
There are fears of spiralling infections in London, which was placed in Tier 2 when England came out of its second national lockdown on 2 December.
As COVID-19 cases in the capital rise, residents have been warned they could be moved into Tier 3 before Christmas.

And on top of the virus, the London mayor has been described as ‘a spiteful little man’, reports the Mail.

Sadiq Khan has been blasted for threatening to charge non-Londoners £3.50 to drive in the capital unless he is allowed to keep £500million from London car taxes.
The Mayor claimed it was unfair the vehicle excise duty, which is collected from drivers in the city, is spent mostly elsewhere.
He suggested a scheme like the Greater London Boundary Charge could reduce the number of journeys by up to 15 per cent and raise £500million a year.
Mr Khan hinted he could charge people more if they drive less eco-friendly vehicles over the threshold to force them to change to cleaner models.

Social care

Despite the rules on care homes being outlined by the government, some are not complying, says the Mail.

Distraught families told they could hug loved ones in care homes at Christmas fear a ‘betrayal’ by officials.
A string of councils and major care home groups are refusing to follow new national rules stating that everyone should get meaningful visits from their families.
Some people have already been told they can’t see relatives in care over the festive period – not even to wave at them through a window.
With less than two weeks until Christmas, Boris Johnson‘s pledge that all care home residents will be able to hug loved ones by then hangs in the balance.

Christmas

‘Be careful’ is the Christmas warning reported by the Guardian.

Scientists and government advisers have urged people to rethink Christmas plans and ignore the easing of Covid rules amid fears over rising cases and hospitalisations in parts of the UK.
While “Christmas bubbles” let three households mix between 23 and 27 December, experts warned ministers were sending the wrong message by saying families must simply “follow the rules” – suggesting this could lead to a third wave with just weeks to go until mass vaccinations protect society’s most vulnerable.
Official data suggests Covid cases are rising in some parts of the UK, including London, raising concerns that more areas will need to be placed under tighter restrictions.

BBC licence

Away from the virus, the Express reports the growing backlash against the television licence.

THE BBC could be in a position to “challenge” the Government in talks concerning the future of its funding due to advice given by the National Pensioners Convention, the General Secretary has told Express.co.uk.
The BBC will be “helped” in their funding negotiations with the Government by “better knowledge” around the fate of pensioners in the UK, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) has told Express.co.uk. Last month, the Government formally kicked off talks to agree the level of the TV licence fee from 2022. NPC General Secretary Jan Shortt gave insight into meetings that her organisation has been conducting with the national broadcaster on the state pension, universal entitlements, the threshold for pension credit and diversity and inclusion. The campaigner also warned approximately 1.4 million over-75s have not paid their licence fee.

BA Strike

And it seems some BA staff want a longer Christmas break, reports the Sun.

BRITISH Airways cargo staff will strike at Heathrow from December 25 until January 2, 2021.
The announcement last night sparked fears over the UK’s supply chain over the festive period.
Talks between Unite and BA at arbitration service Acas broke down.
We told last month the union balloted cargo staff over pay cuts.
Cargo drivers earn around £30,000 a year.
BA said some salaries would rise and urged Unite to get back around the table.

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